Collateral Blessings
by AuntMo
Summary: What are the unintended consequences when the lives of the Winchesters intersect with old family friends? And are all the consequences truly unintended? Follow-up to "The Best Pie". Rated M for darker content; Gabriel appears in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a follow up to my one-shot, The Best Pie. Takes place after Season 5, after Sam is back (how, I don't know yet, its not Sept 24****th**** yet, but soon, so soon). Italics are flashbacks. Some AU, but what fanfic isn't?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. I am, however, quite fond of them. I am also quite partial to my original characters :)**

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The shrill tone of the phone disrupted the dream of a scantily clad blonde dancing with him at a bakery. He didn't even bother to look at the caller ID as he flipped open the phone.

"Cas," Dean mumbled groggily. "I thought we talked about this. Humans need sleep. Last time I checked, I was still human. " Dean rubbed his eyes and looked at the alarm clock next to his bed at the motel room. "Its 3 a.m. What could you possibly need?"

"Dean," sobbed a female voice.

"Annie?"

"Dean, it's Gran. She's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Dean sat up, more alert than he had been ten seconds ago. In his world, gone could mean a lot of things, but none of them were good. Gran was ninety years old, so he already feared the worst. He threw a pillow at Sam in an effort to wake him. Sam stirred but didn't wake. Dean heard another muffled sob over the phone.

"She hadn't been feeling well after dinner and then on her way to her room after watching _Letterman_, she collapsed. I, uh, I called 911 and then took her to the hospital. They said they did everything they could, but it was too late. They said it was her heart."

"Damn, Annie, I'm so sorry." Dean put his hand over the receiver. "Sam" he shouted in a whisper. "Sam! Wake up"

"Uh?" was Sam's reply. "What's going on?"

"What I am going to do Dean?"

"Don't worry, Annie. Sam and I will be there as soon as we can."

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Annie hung up the phone and sighed. Sam and Dean were in Paducah, Kentucky, which would take any normal person at least nine hours time to get here from there. If she knew Dean, they would be here in seven hours or less. She realized she would need sleep to get through the coming days, but she couldn't bear to go upstairs and walk past Gran's room in order to get to her own. She decided to lie down on the couch and try to sleep. She closed her eyes and began to cry. The last thing she remembered before sleep claimed her was feeling a gentle touch on her forehead.

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_In the days after Mary Winchester's funeral, John and the boys seem to settle in to the routine of the house that Gran and Annie had long ago established. When Annie wasn't in school or doing her homework, she did her best to help Gran keep up with the additional work that came with having extra people in the house. John hardly ever let the boys out of his sight and Dean continued to hardly ever speak. However, when Annie was around, John soon realized that she could be helpful with the boys, giving him a chance to rest, and to think._

_Whenever Annie took care of the boys, he would do just that, or talk to Lillian Sheldon. He was grateful that she was allowing them to stay in her home and was glad that he had known her most of his life. He had grown up next door to the Sheldon's in New Salem, KS and they had been a fixture in his life for as long as he could remember. Although their daughter Rita was the same age as John, it was their daughter Heather, two years his senior, with whom he had found friendship at an early age. Heather had been a tomboy, so she had joined the boys in the neighborhood in playing baseball, riding bikes and many other things girls her age didn't want to do. _

_Heather grew up and married Rick Laughlin and John had danced with her at her wedding before he left for Vietnam. Annie was born a year later. Sadly, John was a pallbearer at Rick and Heather's funeral only two year's after he returned from Vietnam. They had been killed by a drunk driver on their way back to Lillian's house to pick up Annie. Annie had lived there ever since._

_Lillian and John continued to be there for one another's joys and sorrows. Lillian and Annie came to see John and Mary get married. And they all mourned the loss of John's parents and Lillian's husband. And now they mourned Mary._

_Lillian would sit and listen to him when he would talk about what he saw that night and she wouldn't look at him like he was crazy. Not like Mike. Not like the cops. She didn't say much. Just listened. Which was fine for now._

_And Annie would take care of the boys. Dean wouldn't let Annie out of his sight when she was taking care of Sam. And he insisted on learning everything she was doing for him._

"_I want to learn how to change his diaper, too," Dean demanded._

"_Are you sure you can do it?" Annie asked_

"_I'm big enough. Besides he ain't heavy!"_

"_Yeah, I know, he's your brother," Annie said._

_When Sam was napping, Annie tried to keep Dean occupied with other activities. He didn't want to play outside, and she couldn't blame him. But then she decided on a new approach._

"_Dean, I am going to make an apple pie, today. Do want to help me?"_

"_Really?"_

"_Of course! Anyone big enough to feed his brother a bottle and change his brother's diapers, can certainly help me make a pie."_

"_I need to go get Dad's Swiss Army knife"_

"_What!" Annie exclaimed._

"_MacGyver uses that for everything," said Dean._

"_Well, I think I will handle the cutting today, but you can help with rolling out the pie crusts, okay?"_

_So soon they were making a pie together. Annie peeled, cored and cut all the apples, but she did let Dean help make and roll out the crust and stir the filling. By the time they put the pie in the oven, Annie wasn't sure if there was more flour covering herself, Dean or the kitchen counter. But she had worn Dean and herself out and convinced him to take a nap as well, by telling him the pie wouldn't even be ready to eat until after dinner since he needed to bake and cool first._

_As she was cleaning up, she overheard John telling Gran about his visit to a woman named Missouri Mosley, and Annie realized that things would be changing once again._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is a follow up to my one-shot, The Best Pie. Takes place after Season 5, after Sam is back (how, I don't know yet, its not Sept 24****th**** yet, but soon, so soon). Italics are flashbacks. Some AU, but what fanfic isn't?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. I am, however, quite fond of them. I am also quite partial to my original characters :)**

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_It don't matter where you bury me,_

_I'll be home and I'll be free_

_It don't matter where I lay,_

_All my tears be washed away._

_All My Tears-Julie Miller_

"Good, she's asleep," Sam said, finding Annie. "I was worried she would be awake all night."

Dean picked up a chocolate bar he found lying on the coffee table. "At least she left us some food."

Sam walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. "Put that down, it is probably hers. And you know there is food in this house. Always is."

Dean followed Sam into the kitchen and started looking around. "Jackpot! Pie! Get me a fork, Sammy." Then Dean put the pie down with a thoughtful look on his face. "You don't think. I mean, could this be the last pie Gran ever baked? We can't eat this. If it was, Annie would kill us."

"When did you become a chick?" Sam asked. "Usually I'm the one that asks those questions."

"Yes, it was," Annie said, walking into the kitchen with a yawn. "It was the last pie she baked. She made it yesterday. So you're not eating it, not for breakfast, anyway. Besides, when have I ever let you eat pie for breakfast in this house?"

"Annie!" Dean exclaimed and grabbed her up in a tight hug. "We didn't mean to wake you."

"That's OK, I got more sleep than I expected and I am glad the house isn't so quiet right now."

"Annie, I'm sorry this is what it took to get us here." Sam said as he too, reached down and gave her a hug.

"Hey, I understand. It's not like you guys have been sitting around drinking beer and watching football. You have only been stopping the Apocalypse and Sam here has been working on getting out of hell." This last statement only brought a fresh round of tears from Annie, and the boys silently looked at the ground.

"OK, I'm done, at least for a while," Annie said as she dried her eyes. "Let me make you a proper breakfast. And I promise you we will have the pie with dinner tonight."

"You're not going to save it?" Dean asked, hesitantly.

"For who? Certainly not for Aunt Rita or my cousins," Annie said as she put some bacon in the frying pan and took some eggs out of the fridge. "They could hardly be bothered to visit Gran or I once every couple of years. You guys have spent more time with us in the last twenty five years than all they ever did. No way are they getting their hands on her last pie."

"Are they going to come in from Indiana for the services?" asked Sam.

"Yes. I called Aunt Rita last night. She said they would be here by tomorrow. Gran already pre-arranged all of her services, even wanted me to go with her. One of the most uncomfortable things I ever did. But at least I don't need to make those decisions now. I only need to schedule them. They will be probably day after tomorrow."

"Oh, here's your chocolate bar back. I stole off the coffee table when we came in," Dean said.

"Hmm. I don't remember that being there," Annie said. "But things haven't exactly been normal around here the last few days."

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In all of his life, Dean Winchester could not remember ever having been to a funeral for someone who had died. Just simply died. Sure he who knew lots people who were dead. Hell, even he and Sammy had died and had managed to come back to life with some help. But all of those deaths were murders, or at best suicides, if you can call a deal with a crossroads demon a suicide. But still, all of those other people had been killed. Killed by demons. Demons, hellhounds, vampires, werewolves, you name it. With all of the monsters that were out there, he and Sam knew someone who had been killed by each of their kind.

But he had never known anyone who had died a natural death. And it scared the hell out of him. He could fight demons and all of those other monsters. He could try to ward them off with salt, tattoos and sigils. But this, this was something he could not fight. He could not see it coming. Even the doctors could not stop it. Even as a nurse, Annie couldn't stop it. He wondered if she felt like she failed Gran in that. But he knew what that felt like, too. At times he felt as though he had failed Dad and Sam. He could try to offer her comfort in that.

By all accounts, even his own, Gran had lived a full life that had its share of both joy and sorrows. She was the kind of person who seemed to focus on her joys regardless of her circumstances. That was a quality that she seemed to have passed on to Annie, at least in some measure. And if the funeral was a testament to anything, she sure did touch a lot of lives while on earth. The church was packed with people that were here to say their final respects to Gran, most of whom seemed glad to have known her and were convinced she had moved on to a better place. While his own experiences still had him skeptical of the notion of a "better place", he thought if anyone would have hope of such, it would be Gran. Still, he had died too many times to want to go through it again, and if he did, he would want to go down fighting, not be stopped by some thing he had no control over.

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_Annie didn't normally like to eavesdrop on other people conversations, but she didn't like the tone of this conversation either, and she had wanted to hear what was going on. She sat along the wall outside living room where John and Gran were talking, so she could hear it without being seen. She had already heard John telling Gran about a psychic named Missouri that had believed everything he told her about what had happened to Mary. He also said that this woman was able to tell him about his thoughts and fears, things had hadn't told anyone else, except maybe Gran. Annie knew that Gran didn't put much stock into psychics and neither had John, because he had heard them talking about it before. That was until John had met this Missouri woman. _

_After talking to Missouri and learning that police had closed the investigation into the fire, John was now convinced that he there were what he called "supernatural elements" involved in Mary's death and that he needed to search for more answers as to what happened. He told Gran that search would take him away from Kansas._

_To Annie's surprise, Gran actual agreed with John that there was more to the events the night of Mary's death than the eye could see. But then the conversation became heated._

"_John, you can go off in search of your answers. I think you need to find them, for the sake of your family. But I think the boys should stay here while you do so."_

"_No, Lillian. They are my boys and they need them to be with me. I need them to be with me."_

"_I understand that John, but what you are looking for, it's hardly safe for you to be digging into on your own, let alone with those young boys tagging along with you. They need to be somewhere safe. If they are here, you know they will be safe"_

_All of a sudden, Annie felt a warm, heavy bundle plop in her lap. She looked down to see Dean sitting there._

"_What's going on Annie?" he asked._

"_Shh." She said putting a finger to Dean's lips, realizing their conversation must have woken him. "Gran and your dad are talking and I am trying to hear what they are saying."_

"_Are you saying I can't keep my boys safe?" John said angrily._

"_No, but the things you will be tracking down don't want to be found. And you have already seen what they are capable of. Besides, you will not be able to stay in one place for very long. That is no life for young ones, John"_

"_I can keep my boys safe. And we will be better off together. Besides, Missouri didn't have things to say just about me and the boys. She mentioned you and Annie, too."_

"_What did she say?" Gran said, her voice growing quieter._

"_In short, that you and Annie shouldn't be directly involved in my search. It's too dangerous for you and makes it's more dangerous for me, too. If my boys stay here, then you become directly involved, as far as I am concerned. I am not putting more people in danger than necessary. I would tell you more, but it will have to wait until later, since Annie and Dean are sitting outside the room right now."_

_Gran grounded her for a week for eavesdropping on the conversation and no matter how much she reason, argued or pleaded, Gran wouldn't tell her what else John had told her about what Missouri had to say. Within the week, John had packed up the boys and they were ready to head out. He wasn't even going to stay for Christmas. Annie and Gran, however, managed to sneak a few presents into the trunk of the Impala before John and the boys took off. Gran insisted that despite the warnings of Missouri, that it would still be safe for them to visit on occasion, and made John promise to do so before they left._

_As they drove off in the Impala, Annie asked her Gran, "What are we going to do now?"_

"_Pray for John and those boys, Annie. Pray."_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: As always, italics are flashbacks. Some AU, but what fanfic isn't? This is a little bit longer, but it needed to be to set up the next couple of chapters which will hopefully put together some of the puzzle pieces for you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. I am, however, quite fond of them. I am also quite partial to my original characters :)**

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Apparently Gran wasn't the only one who had touched a lot lives on earth. After the funeral, the house had a steady flow of people most of who came to see Annie and many who were from the local community center that she ran. After she finished college, she had started working there in its small clinic as a nurse, but over time had worked her way up through the ranks until she eventually ran the whole place. While her heart still held a place for nursing, she also had a real talent for all the administration that it took to run a place without it allowing it to become a bureaucratic nightmare for the people who needed its services the most. Now many of those people took the opportunity to return a kindness to Annie when she needed it. Sam and Dean were not surprised, but watched in quiet awe. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the afternoon being Tom Norton, a young man with autism that Sam and Dean had encountered on one of their trips to New Salem before. Most days, he didn't want to touch anyone and it was a stretch if he would greet you with a handshake. Before he left the house, Tom Norton gave Annie a hug.

On the other hand, Annie's own family had handled the entire matter as if it were another obligation they had to meet and most of the time they looked bored or annoyed. Annie's Aunt Rita, Lillian Sheldon's own daughter, had married her high school sweetheart, Alex Brannan at an early age. He had taken a job in Indiana and when they moved there, Rita had hardly looked backed, except for an occasional visit every two to three years. She and her children seemed to hold little affection for Gran or Annie.

At one point, Sam and Dean saw Rita looking over Gran's china and other collectibles in the curio cabinet.

"Hey, Annie, I don't mean to be rude," he asked when Annie came up behind them, "but what's going to happen to Gran's house now that she is gone."

Seeing Rita looking over the items in the cabinet, Annie understood what Dean was getting at. "This isn't Gran's house," Annie said with a smirk. Dean looked at her in shock.

"It's my house. I bought the house and almost all of its contents from Gran about five years. She wanted to make sure I had a place to stay that was my own."

"By the looks of it, don't you think your aunt will be a little pissed when they read the will?"

"Shocked, but not angry. See, that's why Gran had me buy the house. I won't be getting anything in the will. I don't need any money from her. She left that to Rita and her kids. Everything I wanted from Gran, she either taught me, is in this house, or she took with her," said Annie.

"Gran was a shrewd woman," said Sam.

"Yes, she was," Annie said.

"Any chance I can be there when they read the will," Dean asked, "just to see the look on that woman's face?"

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Awhile later, Dean's phone rang. This time he did take a glance at the caller ID. "Cas now is not a good time. I'm in the middle of something."

"Dean, I need to see you immediately," said the gravely voice at the other end of the line. "There is an urgent matter that requires your attention."

"Yeah, well when isn't there? Sorry, but like I said, now is not a good time. I just attended the funeral of a friend, and I need to stick around for awhile."

"I am not aware of any hunters who have died recently," Cas said.

"It wasn't a hunter, Cas. It is no one you know."

While Annie and Gran knew what he and Sam did, they had never told anyone in the hunting world, not even Bobby, about Annie and Gran. It was at their dad's insistence. He said that it needed to be that way in order to keep them safe. Dean had extended that to Cas as well. Even though he didn't believe that the angel would ever intentionally bring harm to them, Dean wouldn't take the risk of letting word leak out, especially given what douche bags some of Cas' brothers could be.

"Well, that is not of import. I still need to see you. Where are you?" Cas asked, growing more impatient.

"Look," Dean said, "You're not going to come here right now. There are still too many people coming in and out of the house after the funeral. So, you can meet me in an hour, at the diner on the corner of Main and Elm. But when you drop in can you please do so on the outskirts of town, then walk in the rest of the way so you don't draw do much attention to yourself?"

"What town, Dean?'

"New Salem, KS"

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Cas tried to teleport to New Salem, KS, but when he neared the area, he hit what would best be described as a force field, was knocked backward and found himself sitting on the ground looking up at a sign that read

Welcome to New Salem, Kansas

Est. 1856

Pop. 10,774

Behind the sign was nothing but an expanse of what appeared to be golden fields of barley, but no signs whatever of a town.

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_John Winchester did keep his promise to Gran, and he and the boys did visit on occasion. However those visits came with a set of rules. A very strange set of rules that no one explained to Annie. She was just expected to follow them._

_The first rule was the strangest one to Annie. She had always helped Gran with the household chores, including the laundry. But when John and the boys came to visit, she was not allowed to touch John or the boys until they had changed their clothes, and she was never allowed to handle their laundry or any of the items form the trunk of the Impala. This often proved difficult, because Dean, and then Sam as he got bigger, would want to run and give her hug. One time, Annie was standing in the yard when they had arrived. Dean had flown out of the Impala and was launching himself toward Annie when John yelled, "Dean, NO! STOP!" Dean froze as his eyes widened in horror. While neither he nor Annie understood why what he almost did was wrong, they both knew it was one of the rules that they weren't supposed to break. After that, John started to keep a change of clean clothes in the separate bag in the back of the Impala that he would have the boys to change into before they arrived._

_Another "rule" was that after the boys went to bed, John would poor over the details of his latest hunt, as he called it, with Annie and Gran. She wasn't to share this information with anyone, not even the boys as they got older. Not that anyone would believe her. Gran had always been a church-going, Bible believing Christian woman, and Annie had been tagging along, right there with her. But it was one thing to hear Bible stories about demons; it was another to hear someone's real-life encounters about them. It was hard enough for her to digest, she wasn't about to go tell any of her friends. At first, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with this information. It scared her to know all this stuff. And one day she asked John why he was telling her all of these things._

"_Am I supposed to be learning how to fight these demons and monsters, too? Is that why you are telling me all this stuff?" she asked._

"_No," John said sternly. "You are never to fight them."_

"_Then why do I even need to know about it all?"_

"_Annie," Gran said, "we've talked about this before. You need to pray for John and the boys. Knowing this information will help teach __**how**__ to pray for them."_

_As John learned more on his hunts, he also taught them certain things to do around the house to protect themselves. It seemed like each time he came back, they were doing something new to ward off monsters or demons. Laying salt lines down at the doors and windows, painting devils traps under rugs. Annie sometimes wondered if the list would ever end._

_The final rule seemed to apply even when John wasn't around and also caused the most friction between Annie, Gran and John. John felt Annie should spend as much time as possible in New Salem, and not leave the town. He felt she was safest there. Both Gran and Annie didn't see the harm in her leaving town, especially seeing that they had never actually faced a demon attack like John had. This friction came to head in Annie's senior year of high school when Annie was spending more time with her friends and then went off to college._

_Annie came downstairs to see Dean and Sam eating breakfast with her Gran. Sam was three now and Annie could hardly believe how much he had grown. He was clinging to a blanket and teddy bear as he dug into his pancakes. Both the both greeted her with large grins. "Annie!"_

"_Hi ya, Sam! Hi Dean! When did you get here?" asked Annie._

"_Dad brought us last night, and he is sleeping in," said Dean. "Where were you last night?"_

"_My friends and I drove over to Kansas City to see the new Star Trek movie on opening night."_

"_Was it good?" asked Dean. "Did they have lots of phasers in it?"_

"_It was a lot of fun, but even more fun was watching all of the people who were there. There were people dressed up in Start Trek uniforms, or like Mr. Spock, and even some dressed as Klingons! But I think we were standing in line next to one of the weirdest people in the whole theater! There was this woman, Sherrie Rosen, who was pregnant and she says she is going to have a baby girl. Well, she is obsessed with Star Trek and her favorite character is Lt. Saavik from the Wrath of Kahn. She kept talking about how she is writing this love story between Spock and Saavik, ugh," Annie said as she shivered. "And then she went on and on about Saavik and Kirstie Alley, the actress who plays her, and how she wanted to name her baby after her."_

"_Oh, Heavens, who would name a baby Saavik?" asked Gran._

"_Exactly what she said Gran and it was about the only thing she said that made sense, " Annie said, while the boys giggled. "That woman went on about how she didn't like the name Kirstie because it was too close to Kristy, but that she also played a character on Cheers named Rebecca. 'Rebecca Rosen' she said, 'That's what I'm going to name my daughter.' Then we had to listen to her go on about shopping for Start Trek baby clothes. I don't think the woman stopped to take a breath the whole time she talked" _

"_That poor child," said Gran._

"_Absolutely! Can you imagine what it is going to be like for poor Rebecca Rosen to grow up as the daughter of an obsessed Trekkie?" Annie laughed. And Sam and Dean giggled along with her._

_About that time, John came downstairs for breakfast. When he saw Annie, he asked, "Where were you last night?"_

"_Good morning to you, too, John. I was just telling the boys that I went to Kansas City to see the new Star Trek movie."_

"_Annie," John grumbled, "I thought we talked about this. It isn't safe for you to leave New Salem. You need to stay here,"_

"_For heaven's sake, John, "Gran said exasperated. "**You and I** have talked about this, John. She is eighteen years old. She is going to go out with her friends from time to time. She will be safe. Besides, she is already going to college at the University of St. Mary, in Leavenworth. That is a ninety minute drive from here. She will be away for New Salem for the better part of four years."_

"_I still don't think it is a good idea. She will have less protection there."_

"_Well, I've heard what you think, John Winchester. But I thought we agreed a long time ago that when we disagreed when it came to advice on the kids, I would let do what you thought was best for your boys, and you would do let me do what I thought was best for Annie."_

_John Winchester did not say another word, but everyone at the table could tell that he was not happy at all about the direction Annie was going._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am continuing to write this fic, but given the way this site has been acting lately, I am wondering if I will be able to post it, or if I do, whether any of you will be able to read it.**

**For those of you fortunate enough to get to it, thanks for all of your support and your reviews. I still can't believe I am doing this. Keep hanging in there with me. I am going somewhere with all this. Though occasionally, I find that sometimes, I am the one being taken somewhere :)**

**Finally, Annie's "incidence that was more of an annoyance" that is mentioned toward the end of this chapter is loosely based on things that were actually happening when I was in college. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. I am, however, quite fond of them. I am also quite partial to my original characters :)**

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Cas got up from the ground and approached the welcome sign for New Salem that was posted along southbound US Highway 59. This time he could sense the barrier as he moved toward it. It was most certainly some type of protective boundary, and it seemed familiar, though he could not yet identify it. He tried several ways in which to break through it, none of which proved successful, and many of his tries led to him landing in rather awkward positions on the ground. He also found a few weak spots in the barrier, and he realized that his efforts to break through were _not_ the cause of them, which also concerned him. The more time he spent trying to break through the barrier, the more theories were spinning in his head, but still he had no answers. He had to an appointment to keep with Dean Winchester, and he was already late.

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Annie wasn't exactly pleased that Dean had made plans to meet Cas at the diner, but she was too tired to argue very much. Besides, Dean had decided to leave Sam behind to keep an eye on Annie and help clean up the house. Dean figured that Sam was enough of chick to be able to handle the domestic chores.

Now Dean was the one who wasn't exactly pleased that he agreed to meet Cas at the diner. He had been sitting here for almost half an hour past the time he had agreed to meet the angel who was so insistent on seeing him, and there still no sign of Cas showing. That, and the pie at this diner was crap compared to what he would be getting if he were at Annie's. Still, it was pie, small consolation though it was.

Dean's phone rang and he answered it. "Cas, where the hell are you? What is so important that you are making me wait for you?"

"Dean, we, I mean, uh, I have a problem"

"Yeah, we kind of already covered that. That is why I am sitting in a diner eating crappy pie, waiting for you."

"No, I mean, the town, it is not there."

"Did you drink another liquor store? Because you aren't making any sense. I am sitting in a diner in New Salem right now. And I have been staying in this town for three days."

"No," Cas said, once again impatient with both Dean and himself. "The town is hidden from my view and surrounded by some type of protective barrier which I cannot get through. I have been trying to get through this barrier since I spoke to you. I think it has Enochian qualities to it, but it has other layers as well."

Dean sighed. Either his family wasn't the only one protecting Annie all this time, or they really did have a big problem on their hands. Maybe both.

"Can I just come and pick you up in the Impala and drive you through it? Would that work?"

"No, I would just get knocked out of the car. And quite frankly, I am weary of being knocked around."

"Well do you have any other ideas?"

"There are two ways I can think of for me to get through the barrier if I can't bring it down myself."

"OK, stop right there, you are not to bring down that barrier, so quit trying," Dean said.

"Why Dean?" Do you know why the barrier is in place?" asked Cas.

"To quote God's newest Archangel, that is not of import at the moment."

"On the contrary Dean, if the barrier is up to protect a person or an object, all you have to do is bring them to me, and I will be able to cross the barrier if I am touching it."

"And plan B?"

"We would need find whoever constructed the barrier and get them to allow me to pass."

"Fine," Dean sighed. "Give me thirty minutes. We will meet you there."

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It was actually closer to 45 minutes. By the times Dean got back to the house, he had found that Annie had fallen asleep. As much as he hated to wake her up, he feared that they really needed to figure out what was going on, and that she was going to be apart of it. He also needed to find a change of clothes for Cas.

They took Annie's Ford Edge, rather than the Impala and Sam drove. When they met Cas on the highway, they were clearly able to see the town, so whatever the barrier was, it did not impact the three of them, nor likely the rest of the town. Cas looked at Annie with curiosity, while Dean tossed Cas the bag with the change of clothes.

"What is this?" Cas asked.

"Change of clothes." Dean stated flatly. "You don't get anywhere near her until you take off the suit and trench coat and put on what's in the bag."

Cas looked slightly confused, but could tell by the look on his face and the tone of his voice that Dean was serious and there was no point in arguing. He took off his trench coat and suit jacket, then began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Uh, Cas," Sam started to say when he saw Annie blushing and averting her eyes. "How about a little modesty? There is a lady present"

"Oh, sorry." Cas moved behind the vehicle to change and came back out a few moments later in one of Dean's T-shirts and a pair of jeans.

"All right, then let's get this over with," Dean said.

Annie and Cas sat in the back seat. "Dean says you have to touch me in order to go through the barrier," Annie said, as she offered her hand to Cas.

"Yes, at the moment, it is the only way for me to get through."

As Cas took her hand, understanding suddenly dawned on Cas' face. "There was no need for me to change my clothes, Ann Elizabeth Laughlin. Almost all angels are clean."

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_Despite John's wariness about Annie going to college, she did attend the University of St. Mary's for four years, graduating with honors, with a degree in nursing, almost entirely without incident. Almost._

_When she first went, not only did Gran go to see her off, but so did John and the boys, as he wanted to see where she would be living. He raised a stink when he learned she would have a roommate, and spoke with the college administration, claiming he was her uncle, and insisted that she be given her own room, and that it be the __**same**__ room, for all four years. Annie was convinced the administration had never seen anyone like John Winchester before, because by the time he was done, he had gotten Annie everything he had asked for. He then set about the making the room as safe for Annie as possible, laying down salt lines, painting a devil's trap and placing hex's bags around room so she would remain hidden from the supernatural. Annie knew there was no use arguing with him, but at least all the precautions were well hidden and her room looked like a normal room just like the others in her dorm._

_There were two incidents that happened while she was away school. The first she wouldn't call an incident, but more of an annoyance for her. During her time at school, an author wrote a fiction book about spiritual warfare that involved angels and demons and a plot to take over a small town. It was hugely successful and even inspired the author to write a sequel. It also inspired many people, including students on her own campus to take it as the gospel truth. Annie, knowing what really was out there, saw it for was, an entertaining piece of fiction that included a morality tale. However, given Peretti's description of demons, which contained some partial truths, she had to wonder if he had his own experiences with the supernatural or if he was just a good guesser. _

_Many people on campus, though, began to "see" evidence of demons and angles everywhere and even occasionally claimed to know of someone who was possessed. When it was described to Annie, she would simply say that she did not think it was the case. Often at that point, other students would look at her as if she were crazy, and ask her "Why not?" Not wanting to explain how she knew such things, she simply said, "It is not described that way in the Bible", or "You're basing your judgment off of a work of fiction". Both answers were met with scorn and ridicule. But Annie didn't really care._

_However, shortly after the uproar over the Peretti books began to die down, Annie did recognize signs of demon activity, like unexplained incidents where students would get hurt and not remember how. Then one night when walking home form the library, she found traces of sulfur along the path to her dorm. That was enough for her to call John. He said he would come and check it out, but that he wanted her to stay in her dorm, or even better, go home._

"_That is not happening. I have mid-terms this week." Annie said defiantly._

_John sighed; he didn't think he would ever win this argument with her. "Then be careful. I will be there soon."_

_The next day when she was again walking home from the library, someone she didn't recognize stepped out of the shadows, and into her path._

"_Well, who do we have here? Another foolish little lamb, wandering off alone, ready for the slaughter?" sneered the demon, eyes going black._

"_I don't think so," Annie said, as she reached into her bag and grabbed a handful of salt and threw it in the demon's face. The demon howled and covered its face as Annie turned and ran. It was soon after her, but Annie tripped and had to roll under a bench and scramble to her feet. At least the bench put space between her and the demon._

_The demon and Annie circled the bench, eyeing one another. As the demon got a closer look at Annie, it said, "I can't believe it. I haven't seen one of you kind in decades, maybe centuries. And here you are out on your own, without your guardian. Who is going to protect you now, little girl?"_

"_I am you hell bitch, now get away from her!" growled John Winchester, as a shot gun blast rang out._

_Annie dove away from the bench, and when she looked up, she heard John performing an exorcism ritual and a pillar of black smoke rising from the body of the young girl lying on the ground._

_John looked up at Annie. "You're going home. Now!"_

_Annie didn't argue. She drove herself home and John followed in the Impala. The boys were staying with Bobby Singer, so she didn't get to see them._

"_Look, I know I can't talk you into leaving school," John said. "But I want you to start coming home every weekend."_

_Annie was still visibly shaken, so much so that she didn't have much of a filter. "What, so demons only come out to play on the weekends now?" with a snarky tone in her voice._

"_Annie!" Gran said sharply._

"_No," John said, with more understanding. "But at least that is two days a week you will be under the protection of this house. And the school is close enough to make it manageable."_

"_Will someone please explain to me why being here is so different from being anywhere else? And while you are at it, why I have to follow all of those stupid rules? I survived a demon attack tonight. I think I have earned the right to know what the hell is going on!__"_

_John and Gran exchanged a look. John finally said, "You are right Ann, you have earned the right to know what is going on. But unfortunately, we don't know much more than you already do."_

"_What do you mean, I hardly know anything."_

"_Back when I spoke with Missouri, she said that you had the potential to help me, me and the boys, simply by praying for us. Now I am not much of a believer, but what Missouri said rang true to me. But she said for you to be truly effective you needed to avoid contact with anything related to demons as much as possible. You couldn't be touched by them, or anyone who had been in contact with them unless they were 'clean'. She also said that in order for you to be safe, and by extension, my family to be safe, you should stay here. That this was the safest place on earth for you. She didn't know anything more. She couldn't or wouldn't, give me anything else."_

_Annie sat silently while she digested all of this. John was right. There was very little in what he told her that she didn't already know. But it was enough to make her agree to John's terms._

_Annie stayed with Gran for a few more days before returning to school, Gran having explained to her professors that she had a family emergency. When she returned to school, it seems that little had changed, and she had no other incidents while she was there. _

_The school was small enough that Annie was familiar with most of the students, faculty and staff. Within a few days of her return, she noticed that the school had hired a new janitor, a man with brown hair and honey colored eyes that seemed to be around whenever Annie was out of her dorm. But he never bothered her. The only other odd occurrences that Annie noticed during her remaining time at St. Mary's were that the students that seemed to tease or scorn her in any way apparently experienced some form of karmic justice in the most unusual ways._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I have moved the bulk of my notes to the end of the chapter in an effort not to spoil anything. However, for the purposes of this fic, Chuck is a prophet, but he is not God. I know I am not the first person to do this for their fics.**

**Good news/bad news: Bad news: there is no flashback in this chapter. There was just too much I had written, which I felt made the chapter too long. The good news: basically chapter 6 is already done, so I will post it later.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. I am, however, quite fond of them. I am also quite partial to my original characters :)**

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"So wait a minute," Annie said. "How do you know that I need to worry about whether or not you are clean?"

"I am an angel of"

"Yeah, I already know about that part," Annie said interrupting Cas. "Sam and Dean have already filled me in on you. Skip ahead to the point. I want to know what you know about me."

"You are a priest of the Lord." Cas said. "Specifically, you are a priest for the Winchesters."

"Oh," Annie said quietly. "That actually makes sense of so many things."

"No it doesn't," said Dean, pulling into the drive. "Are we even on the same planet? Because none of us are even Catholic, and if even we were, last time I checked, chicks were not allowed to be priests."

"No, Dean," Sam said. "I don't think he meant an ordained priest. I think he meant something like Chuck."

"Chuck is a prophet of the Lord," Cas said. "He is not a priest."

"What's the difference?" Dean asked.

"Well," Annie said, "a prophet is God's mouthpiece. His job is to speak what he has heard from God or what God has shown him in visions to men."

"Or apparently write it down in the form of cheesy novels," Dean said with a smirk.

Ignoring Dean, Annie continued. "A priest's job on the other hand, is to be a mediator between God and man. The priest intercedes before God on behalf of man, bearing their burdens, offering prayers and sacrifices up to God and then in return, offering to man God's blessing, hope and encouragement. Priests are also required to remain clean so that they can approach God when they are interceding and offering sacrifices."

Sam and Dean were quiet for a moment and exchanged a look with one another. Much of that sounded like the Annie they knew, except one part. Dean broke the silence. "When have _you ever_ offered a sacrifice?"

"Don't worry Dean, Annie said with a laugh. "I don't have an altar in the basement or anything. I don't offer sacrifices. In the Jewish tradition, the priests would have to offer animal sacrifices for the sins of the people. In Christian tradition, Christ's death is the one sacrifice that is sufficient for all sins. He becomes the ultimate priest for everyone".

"That is not entirely true Annie," Cas said. "You have sacrificed much to stay here all of these years."

"It's not the same thing, Cas. It is no where near on the same level as…" Annie sighed.

"How is it that you know all of this stuff, Annie?" Dean asked.

"How could I not? I grew up in this house with Gran. We went to church every Sunday. She made sure I learned everything possible at church. Especially after what Missouri told your dad." And with that, Annie explained to Sam and Dean what John and Gran had told her years ago about her role in all of this, though it was much less information than what that they had learned from Cas.

"And the whole thing about needing to be clean?"

"Priests need to be clean in order to approach God with their requests and sacrifices," said Cas. "In Jewish tradition, there were ceremonial rituals to prepare the priests and their garments in order to approach the Lord. But Annie simply needs to avoid demons and other evil spirits in order to remain clean. Though I am not sure why John Winchester ever allowed you to be around Sam, consider that he was an abomination before he was raised from Hell."

"Do not call Sam an abomination in this house, mister, or I will kick you outside of the barrier myself," Annie said.

"But he had demon blood in him since infancy" Cas said, confused.

"Yes, but as a result of a deal that his mother chose to make, not him. Once Sam made the choice to start drinking demon blood of his own free will, then Dean didn't let him come here until he cleaned up his act. Before then, it wasn't an issue."

"So back to the main point. How come we need a priest?" Sam asked.

"Because your faith has been, inconsistent, at best." Cas said. "You have had much work to do for God, yet even now continue to lack in your faith after all you have seen. You need someone to bear your burdens, offer you hope and intercede on your behalf."

"And what good has it done us?" Dean asked bitterly.

"You think things would be better for you if someone hadn't been praying for you?" Annie asked incredulously.

"Well, let's see. Dad died and went to Hell. I died and went to Hell. Sam said yes to Lucifer and went to Hell. And that's just for starters"

"OK, if you really want to get into this now," Annie said, getting angry, "Your dad made a _choice_ to deal with the yellow-eyed demon in order to save you, then he died and went to Hell. Then by some miracle, he got out at the Devil's Gate in time to help you kill the yellow-eyed demon, before being sent to heaven. Then you made _a choice_ to deal with a crossroads demon to save Sam, then you died and went to Hell. Then by some miracle, were pulled out by Cas. Finally Sam_, said yes_ to Lucifer, and at some critical moment was able to take control long enough, in order to jump in the cage, and by yet another miracle he got pulled out. On the same day, both Cas and Bobby were killed by Lucifer, but brought back to life by God… but you don't think priestly intercession has done you any good?

"This place has also always been sort of refuge for us Dean." Dean shot Sam a look that clearly said keep your pie hole shut. "Ok," Sam said "I think that's enough about that for now."

"Alright. Then there's something I don't understand," said Annie trying to change the subject. "I am not Jewish, so I certainly can't be a descendant of Levi's bloodline. How can I be a priest?"

"Bloodlines! What is it with you angels and all your bloodline crap?" Dean asked clearly still angry about the whole thing.

"In the Levite tradition, the priesthood was past down through the bloodline, Dean," said Cas. "But, Annie, you are not a Levitical priest. You are priest in the order of Melchizedek."

"Mel-kissy-duck!" Dean exclaimed "That sounds like Mel Gibson's next relationship gone wrong."

"Again, what's the difference, Cas?" Sam asked.

"As I said, the Levitical priesthood is passed down through bloodlines. But Melchizedek had no mother or father, no genealogy. God only calls a priest as one is needed."

"So if you knew all this about Annie," Dean asked, "why didn't you tell us all this before?"

"I didn't know about Annie until I met her today, and then it was revealed to me. She must have been protected from me, just like this town."

"So who would do that Cas? Who could put up that barrier" Sam asked.

"I have also been curious about that. Just like prophets, priests are supposed to be protected by an Archangel. Annie should have had one assigned to her as soon as God called her."

"Could an Archangel put up that barrier and kept me hidden?" Annie asked.

"Yes, seeing that it had Enochian qualities to it. But there were other layers I didn't recognize. It is also troubling that your Archangel isn't present."

"Yeah, well you are kind of short-handed in that department these days, aren't you?" Dean smirked. "Lucifer and Michael are in the cage and Gabe is dead. Who knows what happened to Raphael after we left him in Johnny Cash's burning ring of fire. Wouldn't God just assign her a new angel if hers were dead or in Hell?"

"Perhaps, but only if her angel were truly dead or in Hell. If he had simply abandoned his post, then I cannot predict what Father would do. And that is not the only troubling thing, Dean. The barrier that protects the town is starting to weaken, and I think I know why."

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**A/N: Whew, that was long and technical, I know. Thanks for hanging in there with me.**

**First of all, I need to say thanks to San Antonio Rose, who reviewed some of my ideas of where I was going on this before I put it together. I appreciate her feedback. She has some pretty awesome fics of her own, including a great crossover trilogy with SPN, SG-1 and SG-Atlantis. Also, if you have any appreciation for the Monkees, then you have to check out her fics for that alone.**

**Secondly, this idea came to me because we had seen the idea of a prophet in Chuck, but not the idea of a priest. So I wanted to play with that. I certainly did not keep a strict doctrinal interpretation, not in anybody's book, even my own. I, of course, tweaked it for my own purposes, but kept it fairly close to a basic understanding of the role of a priest as I believe that the ****_Supernatural_**** world would allow. It should be noted that in real life, being a prophet and a priest are not mutually exclusive. It was just convenient to separate them for the purpose of the fic. Anything that might be considered remotely close to being considered biblical in this chapter was largely taken from the book of Hebrews chapters 6-10.**

**Just because we now have an explanation what Annie's role is, doesn't mean that the twists are done.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here is your flashback. This time, we aren't going that far back in time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. I am, however, quite fond of them. I am also quite partial to my original characters :)**

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_Ever since that fateful November when John Winchester and his boys first ended up on their doorstep, it became an almost annual event for them to come back, almost like a ritual, or a time of remembrance. No one ever spoke of the loss of Mary Winchester, but sometime, every November, John Winchester and his boys would show up at the home of Lillian Sheldon and Annie Laughlin for a visit, in between their cases. Even when at first Annie, then fifteen years later, Sam went away at college, they came. Even after John Winchester had died, the boys kept coming. _

_The only time things changed was when Dean came back from Hell. That year, whenever he came to see her and Gran, he came alone. Sam was drinking demon blood and hanging out with some demon named Ruby at the time. If Annie couldn't touch clothes or items that had possibly been contaminated by demon blood or residue, there was no way Dean was letting Sam come to see Annie while he was drinking demon blood, especially if he had that hell bitch in tow. So he came alone that year._

_By November 2009, Annie Laughlin expected things to be back to normal, now that Sam had gone through demon-detox and he and Dean had started to patch things up. In fact, Sam had called her to say they were looking into a possible case in Wellington, Ohio, before they came by for a few days, but they didn't expect it to take long, seeing as it was probably just a bear attack._

_However, when a few days had passed and the boys didn't show up, Annie started to wonder where they were. So she called and left Sam a message. The next day she called and left Dean a message. After another day of not hearing from them, she started to get worried. It was not like them to not call her back. Even on a busy case, they always called her back, but especially if they were going to be coming to see her and Gran._

_So Annie did something she had never done before. Something she promised Dean and Sam she would never do. She went looking for them. She couldn't help herself. The only time that either one of them had not returned her calls, one of them had died. And she was tired of them dying on her. She packed a bag and kissed her Gran good-bye and headed out to Wellington, Ohio. It was a thirteen hour drive. She wasn't Dean, but she could still be there in one day._

_When she arrived in Wellington, she pulled up to the motel that Dean and Sam had been staying at. Immediately she noticed that the Impala wasn't in the parking lot. She went to speak to the clerk at the front desk, who was hesitant to give her any information at first, but when Annie pulled out an old FBI badge that Dean had left behind once before and started lying through her teeth about being a Special Agent looking for two missing field agents, the woman behind the desk was more forth coming. She allowed her into the boys' room, but that showed little evidence, other than they hadn't left town. Sam's laptop was sitting on the table and was turned off. And their duffle bags were in the room. So Annie headed to the police station where she again used her "cover story" and learned that boys had headed out on a call to remote area of town, near an abandoned warehouse. But that had been days ago._

_When she arrived at the warehouse, she saw the Impala outside, but no other cars. She entered the building and was overwhelmed by a sensation of being surrounded in static, almost like watching on an old television screen lose its picture. As she adjusted herself to the surroundings, she saw a man lying unconscious on the floor in the corner. Her nursing instincts kicking in, she ran over to him. She kneeled down next to him and saw that he was wearing a suit and trench coat and had dark hair. By all the stories Dean had told her, this had to be Cas, the angel of the Lord that had pulled Dean out of Hell and been helping him over the last year or so. He had several cuts on his face, but now that Annie recognized him, she hesitated. Years of being cautioned against getting involved in the supernatural made her think twice about helping him. In addition, even as a nurse, she wondered what she could do to help him, if he was an angel. And then suddenly, Annie knew she had her answer right in front of her. "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" Well, at least she wouldn't be unaware of who she was helping. _

_But before she could do anything to help Cas, she heard a snapping of fingers and foot steps behind her, and Cas was suddenly gone. She turned around and stood and saw a man approach her. He looked strangely familiar to her._

"_What are you doing here?" he asked her. "You shouldn't be here."_

"_I am just looking for friends of mine. Their car is outside and I was hoping they would be here."_

"_Well, Sam and Dean aren't here. You should just go. It isn't safe for you to be here."_

_Annie was irritated. Why did everyone insist that she wasn't safe anywhere but New Salem? Then it hit her._

"_Wait a minute! I didn't tell you who I was looking for! How do you know their names if I didn't mention them? And what happened to Cas?"_

_Damn! She had him so distracted that he had made a rookie mistake. A huge one. Now he was going to have to make an even riskier move._

"_Look, if you don't go, then I am going to have to make you go," he threatened._

"_How? Did you make Cas go too?" Annie asked. Then something else dawned on her. "I know you! You were the janitor at my college. How did you end up here?"_

_After that he couldn't wait any he longer. He snapped his fingers and Annie suddenly found herself sitting in the kitchen back at home in New Salem, her car parked in the driveway._

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_Gabriel had his hands full enough as it was, trying to get the muttonheads to play their roles and keep pretty boy angel out of the way while he convinced them. But then he sensed another presence walk into the warehouse._

_Gabriel sent the brothers to a procedural crime drama while he went to see who was trying to interrupt his plans. When he saw a woman kneeling over an injured Cas, he immediately sent the injured angel away._

_She turned and stood and he realized it was __**her**__. He should have realized that basically abandoning his post would eventually catch up with him. She hadn't changed much in the twenty years since he last seen her. Her auburn hair still fell in curls around her face, down to her shoulders. Her forest green eyes almost looked brown in the shadows of the warehouse, and her face was still dotted with freckles. If anything, time had given her a grace and strength that she didn't have in her youth._

_He should have been around more than he had been. She was his responsibility. He wasn't even sure why God had bothered to track him down to give him this assignment after he had left Heaven, nor why he had agreed to it in the first place. It didn't take him long to decide he wasn't going to be in it for the long haul though. But he felt that by protecting the town from any and all supernatural prying eyes, and tipping off that psychic, that should have been more than enough protection. And besides, after that incident at the college, he did come back around and hang out for a few years until she went back to New Salem. That also gave him the chance to have some fun with the fools stupid enough to harass her. But other than that, he had too many other fun things to do on Earth than keep an eye on little miss priestess. Now he was wondering if he had made a mistake. However, he had other problems to take care of first._

"_What are you doing here?" he asked her. "You shouldn't be here."_

"_I am just looking for friends of mine. Their car is outside and I was hoping they would be here."_

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_Sam was upset, but Dean was downright livid when they got to New Salem and found out that Annie had been to Ohio and ran into Gabriel._

"_You know you aren't supposed to leave New Salem! And now that douche bag knows about you!"_

"_You sound like your dad," Annie replied. "And when neither of you called back, I was worried. Besides, I have seen him before. He worked at my college. He also said I wasn't supposed to be at the warehouse. He was the one that sent me back. Otherwise, I would have stayed there until I found you. So I don't think it is a huge problem."_

"_Well, he's a dick, and even if you could go roaming about the country, I wouldn't want him anywhere near you," Dean retorted._

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_Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, a demon had seen Annie searching Wellington, Ohio for the Winchester brothers. For the second time in twenty years, a demon had caught the scent of Annie Laughlin. This time, the demon realized she was too valuable of prize to pass up._

_**A/N: The verse any is thinkig of when helping Cas is Hebrews 13:2**_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: A slightly darker turn, so I changed the rating.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. I am, however, quite fond of them. I am also quite partial to my original characters :)**

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"_Could an Archangel put up that barrier and kept me hidden?" Annie asked._

"_Yes, seeing that it had Enochian qualities to it. But there were other layers I didn't recognize. It is also troubling that your Archangel isn't present."_

"_Yeah, well you are kind of short-handed in that department these days, aren't you?" Dean smirked. "Lucifer and Michael are in the cage and Gabe is dead. Who knows what happened to Raphael after we left him in Johnny Cash's burning ring of fire. Wouldn't God just assign her a new angel if hers were dead or in Hell?"_

"_Perhaps, but only if her angel were truly dead or in Hell. If he had simply abandoned his post, then I cannot predict what Father would do. And that is not the only troubling thing, Dean. The barrier that protects the town is starting to weaken, and I think I know why."_

"So spill it Cas," Dean said.

"I think it may have something to do with why I originally needed to see you," Cas replied. "Over the last several months, there has been an increase in mysterious deaths. All of them were parents of young children, and all of the deaths involved fires. The deaths began in Leavenworth, KS but have also been occurring in other parts of the state."

"Where?" Sam asked

"Generally, between here and Leavenworth. They have slowly been getting closer to New Salem. The most recent ones occurred in Pleasant Grove last week."

"Leavenworth." Dean said. "Annie, that is where you went to college. And where you had a run in with that demon. That can't be a coincidence."

"What happened to the children?" Annie inquired her voice barley above a whisper.

"Most of them are now living with other family members. A few have ended up in the custody of your government's child protective services," Cas responded.

"And this relates to the barrier how?" Dean asked.

"None of the surviving children were older than six years of age," Cas responded. "One of the survivors was able to report that there was a man in the home that tried to take him away, but his father and mother offered to go with the man instead."

Annie gasped as her eyes widened in horror. Tears started to fall down her face.

Cas continued, "It is highly probable that it is demonic activity, and the parents are sacrificing themselves in place of their children. If so, their deaths could be weakening the barrier."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Annie said, as she fled the room. Sam followed Annie out of the room, while Cas and Dean continued the conversation.

"So is that why the deaths are occurring, to weaken the barrier?" Dean asked.

"I am not certain," Cas replied. "When I first requested to speak to you, I was going to ask you and Sam to investigate the situation. Regardless, we need to find whatever is causing the situation, and find a way to protect Annie as well."

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After giving her a few moments, Sam knocked on the door of the bathroom. "Annie, are you alright?"

Opening the door, "I don't think that's the most realistic question of the day, Sam" she said, tears still streaming down her face. "I buried my Gran this morning, now Dean is angry because I am a priest of God, I have a missing Archangel and demons are letting parents sacrificing themselves for their children, maybe to get to me."

"Come here," Sam said as he pulled her into an embrace, "We are going to make sure that you are Ok. And Dean will get over it, alright?"

"You sure about that? We are out of pie, too, ya' know. And I'm not sure I'm up for baking right now."

Sam chuckled, "I think what you need to do is get some sleep. We've all had a long day, but yours has been more difficult than ours. Why don't you head up to bed? Dean and I can take care of ourselves."

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"So what's the plan?" Sam asked.

"I say we head north tomorrow," Dean answered. "Stop in Pleasant Grove since it is closest and it is where the most recent deaths occurred. Then head to Leavenworth after that, since that is where it all began. See what we can find out."

"I agree," Cas said. "I will go with you."

"No, I think you should stay here," Sam said, shaking his head. "Annie is pretty shaken, and if the barrier is weakening, I don't want her left without any protection. You may not be her Archangel, but at least you are an Archangel. If something is able to get through that barrier, she will be in danger unless you are here Cas."

"Sammy's right. I don't want her to stay here alone and she's definitely not coming with us."

After they had decided on a plan of action, they settled in for the night. Cas, not needing sleep, decided to search the perimeter of the barrier, looking for additional signs of weakness. Sam and Dean went to the guest room to try to sleep.

"Was Annie Ok, Sam?" Dean inquired.

"Not really, Dean," he replied. "It was a hard day for her. Are you really that pissed about the whole priest thing? You know she is worried about that, right?"

"I am not mad at her, it is just, why is that no one ever fills us in on these things. I mean, I know she didn't know either. But Cas went off searching the planet last year for God, and here she was, the whole time, with direct access to Him."

"I am not sure that it works that way, Dean. It's not like she walks up and talks to Him face to face. She just prays. A lot. And I think her prayers get heard a lot better than most."

"I know. But you think someone could have bothered to tell us. Save us a hell of a lot of trouble."

Dean was soon snoring the night away. But Sam was restless. He felt like he was missing something in all that they had talked about. He finally gave up on sleeping after awhile and went down stairs to get a something to drink. Pouring himself a glass of milk, he saw a chocolate bar on top of the refrigerator. Annie had put it up there after Dean had given it back to her the other day. She hadn't remembered it being in the house, which was strange. She had a sweet tooth that could have rivaled Gabriel's.

Gabriel! Sam thought. Annie saw him at the warehouse in Ohio. And she had said that he sent her home because she wasn't supposed to be there. That wasn't like him at all. Normally, he would have messed with her mind, just like anyone else. And then Sam Winchester remembered something else.

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Dean awoke earlier than usual the next morning. Apparently he wasn't the only up early, because Sam wasn't in the guest room either. When he went down stairs, he realized that Annie was still sleeping and Cas wasn't back yet. Sam, however, was doing something all together different in the living room.

"Porn?" he said in horror as he walked into the living room. "You are watching porn in Annie's house? She is going to kill you."

"It's not what you think, Dean," Sam retorted, tossing him the DVD case.

"_Casa Erotica_," Dean smirked. "You kept this crap?"

"I don't know why, but look," he pointed to the screen. "There is a special feature entitled 'Annie'. I didn't think much of it at the time. We were trying to get Luci in his cage. But I couldn't sleep last night and it came to me." Sam hit play on the remote and the boys watched as once again Gabriel's face came into view and he was speaking to them.

"Well hello, boys! How long did it take you to find this little side show? Let me guess, was it Sammy, the brainiac, who figured it out? Or did Dean-o keep the DVD for recreational purposes and discovered it while taking a little pleasure cruise? Well, that is neither here, nor there. This feature is about Annie now isn't it? Look, not only is Annie easy on the eyes, but she is more than meets the eye, if you haven't figured that out by now. And if there comes a time when her world starts to fall apart around her, then there is a way you can help her. You will need to go to the chapel at the University of St. Mary's in Leavenworth, KS. There, beneath the floorboards under the altar, you will find a box containing the instructions of what to do. Is that simple enough for you to follow, muttonheads? It's been a pleasure saving your assess again!"

Sam and Dean looked at one another. Things were looking as though Annie's Archangel was a dead Archangel.

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A few hours later, five miles north of New Salem, Carol Lundeen pulled into the drive of the farmhouse that she and husband, Aaron, were renting from the Edwards. Aaron was away on business in St. Louis and she and their four year old daughter, Katie had just returned from a trip to the grocery store in New Salem. Katie bounded out of the car and up onto the porch, while Carol removed the groceries from the car. When Carol approached the house, she saw Katie in the arms of a strange man.

"Mrs. Lundeen," he said, eyes turning black. "My master Moloch requires the services of your daughter Katherine, unless, of course, you would like to take her place?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. I am, however, quite fond of them. I am also quite partial to my original characters :)**

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By the time Cas returned from searching the perimeter of the barrier, Annie was up and making breakfast for everyone. Sam and Dean shared with both of them what they had discovered about Gabriel while everyone was eating pancakes and bacon.

"The facts are consistent with that conclusion," Cas stated. "My brother certainly would have put a protective barrier in place, rather than stay around to guard Annie."

"If he weren't already dead, I swear I'd find a way to kill him for leaving her on her own," Dean said. "But at least we are already headed to Leavenworth. We can check out the chapel and see if there is anything there that will really help or if it is another one of his bad jokes."

Sam and Dean's trip to Pleasant Grove and Leavenworth was primarily a dead end. Because of her work at the community center, Annie had contacts within Child Protective Services. She was able to call in a few favors and get the names, addresses and phone numbers of the family members involved in the case, giving Sam and Dean some lead time. But they really weren't able to get much more information than they already had received from Cas. Many of the children were too young or too traumatized to speak to them, even when they able to get into to see them. And even though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, it was a painful reminder to Dean, seeing kids the same age he had been, who had lost their parents in a fire. A demonic fire. He almost wished Annie wouldn't have been in danger or he would have brought her with them. She had been able to draw him out of his self-imposed shell after his mother had died, and he believed she could do the same with these kids, too. Even if it wasn't about getting information, these kids deserved the chance to start healing.

When they got to Leavenworth, it was clear the trail did start here. The first victim had been a young single mother who worked in the registrar's office of the college, who had access to all information of the students, both past and present. Someone could have easily gotten a hold of Annie's home address through her, only to later find the town protected by the barrier.

Proving to get into the chapel was less of a challenge for the two seasoned hunters. They simply waited until the campus chaplain left shortly after three and the chapel was deserted and they could go in.

"Why does it feel like we are desecrating a church, Dean?"

"Probably because we are, Sammy. You know I think that Gabe set it up this way just so he could get his jollies watching us destroy part of a church from whatever afterlife he has."

They found the box exactly where Gabe said it would be. Inside the box was an envelope that was labeled "For Annie." Dean thought they should open it now and see what it was in case it was something that could harm her. Sam argued that it was addressed to her, and they should let her open it. Sam also pointed out that as far as they knew, the worst thing that Gabriel had ever done to her was abandoned her. He had never done anything intentionally to harm her. In the end, they decided that they would open it back at the house, with Cas there, so that if there was some sort of final trick from Gabe inside, that Cas would hopefully be able to assist and counteract any of the effects.

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Back in New Salem, Annie found herself getting restless after Sam and Dean left. The house was too quiet without them there. Even though Cas was present, he either wasn't interested in talking or wanted to give her space. So after baking both an apple and a peach pie in the silence of the house, Annie left to go to the community center. While everyone had understood her need to take time off work after Gran's death, she decided to exchange the craziness of the last few days, for the craziness that could be her life's work. The hustle and bustle that filled every corner of the community center, from the clinic, to the day care center, to the recreational programs, and all of the other services, would at least temporarily distract her until Sam and Dean returned.

Cas of course went with her and watched as she greeted everyone she saw, giving each person attention and showing concern for their needs. He stood off to the side during most of the interactions, not wanting to intrude, and not sure of the protocol, being the newcomer in the situation.

"You seem to use your priestly gifts in a variety of situations," Cas observed, "and not just with the Winchesters."

"And are you just an angel for them, or has God given you other responsibilities has well?" she replied with a soft chuckle.

"Dean has not been as observant about my role as you."

"I am not surprised. He can sometimes have… tunnel vision where his life is concerned."

As Annie fell back into her work routine, things seem to go smoothly, until one point in the afternoon when Annie received a call from the small hospital in New Salem, which was located just a few blocks down the street from the community center.

"Annie, this is Sheryl Lopez over at Franklin County Hospital. I know it is short notice, and not the best timing, but I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor?"

"What is going on Sheryl?"

"There was a fire out at the Edwards place this morning. It was totally destroyed. A new family in town was renting it, and the wife, Carol Lundeen, died in fire. Her husband, Aaron is in St. Louis on a business trip. We have been able to get a hold of him and he is on his way back to New Salem. But their four year old daughter, Katie survived the fire without a scratch. We wondering if one of your staff could keep her until Mr. Lundeen gets backs in town tonight, between six or seven."

"I'll be right over Sheryl," Annie said. "I'll take care of it myself."

"Cas, we need to go to the hospital. I will explain on the way."

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As Annie returned back to the house with Katie and Cas in tow, she was reminded of how much little Katie Lundeen reminded of her of Dean at that age. They both had lost their mother in a fire caused by a demon, and Katie Lundeen didn't want to speak to her anymore than Dean had wanted to that first day he had been here. Somehow, she had a feeling that pie wouldn't matter much to this little girl and she would have to find a different approach to get the girl to open up.

Cas called the boys and let them know the latest development and they told him they expected to be back around six themselves. Annie, in the meanwhile, tried to her best to reach out to Katie. She eventually had to go to the attic to find something that worked.

When Sam and Dean arrived back to the house, they found Annie sitting on the floor with Katie, playing with what looked like a plastic farm, airport, cars and even people. Katie still wasn't talking, but at least she was playing with the toys along side Annie.

"What are doing?" Dean asked.

"Playing with Fisher Price Little People. Care to join us?" Annie asked. "I used to play with them all the time when I was little."

"Uh, no thanks, I prefer not to time travel back to the seventies anymore than I already have," Dean replied.

Annie stuck her tongue out at him and continued to play with Katie. "How was your trip?"

"We didn't find much that we can talk about right now. But there is something we found for you, that we will all look at later," Sam answered.

Sam and Dean walked into the kitchen and Sam set the box found in the chapel on top of the fridge. Dean saw the two pies that Annie had made earlier that day sitting on the counter. "Annie, you made pie! I love you, you know that right? It is time for pie yet?"

At that, Katie got up, walked over to Annie and whispered in her ear. Annie laughed and said. "You are right, Katie. Dean, our newest house guest says you need to wait until you eat all of your dinner before you can eat your pie!" At that, everyone laughed. Annie asked Katie if she wanted help her make dinner, and she also pressed Dean into service as well. Soon they were all having dinner, and then pie for dessert.

However, by the time dinner was over, it was half past seven, and Mr. Lundeen had not arrived from St. Louis. By the time Sam finished the dishes, Annie had read Katie three stories and it was after eight. Katie started to yawn and Annie took her upstairs and put her in her own bed for the time being. With the death of Mrs. Lundeen being so close to New Salem, Cas left to check the barrier once again.

"I am worried Dean," Annie said. "Something isn't right. It is after eight, and the hospital said Mr. Lundeen would be here between six or seven. It isn't that long of a drive from St. Louis."

"I know Annie, my gut is screaming at me, too."

While they were waiting, Sam and Dean decided they could fill Annie in on what happened during the trip, since Katie was asleep. They told her about the campus registrar and that other than that, they had no new information.

"What about the chapel?" Annie asked.

"We found this," Sam said, handing her the box.

Opening it, she saw the envelope that was addressed to her and she began to open it.

"Don't think we should wait for Cas?' Dean said, interrupting her.

"Why? This isn't for him. It is addressed to me."

"But what if it could hurt you?" Dean asked.

"Dean, we talked about this before. I don't think he would have left something that would hurt her even if he wasn't around," Sam stated.

"Dean, I am already on edge waiting for Mr. Lundeen. I am not waiting for Cas to open this envelope," Annie said as she opened the envelope and pulled out a letter.

"So, what does is say?" Dean asked.

Annie's green eyes narrowed as she looked at Dean. She said nothing and read the letter silently.

_Annie-_

_I am not very good at admitting my, um, shortcomings. But I know I was never the best Archangel a person could have assigned to them. I was too in to doing my own thing._

_If you have this letter, it probably means you are in trouble and need some help. So here is a prayer that will send some your way. It has to be said by you._

_-Gabe_

"Well?" Dean said.

"Gee for someone who didn't want me to open it right away, you sure are anxious to know what's in it." Annie retorted. "It's a letter from Gabriel. He basically apologizes for not doing his job. And he left a special prayer that he said if I prayed, would send me help."

"You are not saying that prayer. He wasn't just an angel. He was a Trickster, and a dick, too. I think it will just bring us more trouble," Dean said.

"I think the prayer must be prayed" Cas said, who had suddenly returned. "I discovered that now enough of the barrier is down to let supernatural beings into the town in one area.."

"Well, I think that settles it Annie," Sam said.

Annie began the prayer, which was entirely in Latin, "_Ángele Dei, qui custos es mei, me, tibi commíssum pietáte supérna, illúmina, custódi, rege et gubérna. Amen_."

And with that, a swirl of lights appeared in the room next to Annie and a form began to materialize within them. As the lights faded away, a man stood in there. "Annie! Thanks for calling me back to earth! Are you all throwing this party for me? Where is the candy? Bro, I didn't know you would be here, too!"

The rest of the room was momentarily shocked into silence at the sudden appearance of the Archangel Gabriel.

**A/N: The prayer that Annie prays is a Catholic prayer called the Angel of God prayer. The translation is **_**Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen**__._

**For those of you who have been continued to read and review, thank you so much for your support. It has been wonderful. **

**For those of you who have been silnt, feel free to join the party. I am always open for constructive feedback if you see something you don't like. Believe me, I highly doubt there is anything you can say that can challenge or top some of the inane things I have been told in my professional career, so don't worry about offending me, as long as it is constructive feedback ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. I am, however, quite fond of them. I am also quite partial to my original characters :)**

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Actually, Dean's silence lasted all of three seconds. "What the hell are doing you doing here, douche bag?"

"Well, it's good to see you, too, Dean," Gabriel answered. "I think it is pretty clear that I am here at Annie's request."

"You have no right to come back here after abandoning her all of those years, you candyass!"

"Hey! I didn't completely abandon her. Who do you think took the town off the supernatural radar. I also planted a certain vision in the mind of that psychic, so she'd pass on the information Annie's family would need to know to keep her around here. In the end, I think it all worked out for the best, don't you think?"

"If you call getting attacked by a demon while you are at college for the best," Sam snorted.

"Well, Dad did give me a kick in the pants after that, so I showed up and kept an eye on her until she graduated and went back home. Those were a couple of funs years. Pranking students who harassed Annie, hot young college girls around every corner, wonderful times!

"And that's all you think about, isn't it? What fun you can have," Dean said. "You didn't give a crap about Annie."

"Guys, please cut it out," Annie interrupted. "We do have bigger issues right now."

"Annie's is correct," Cas said. "Gabriel, the protections you put in place around the town have started to fail. There seems to be a correlation to recent demonic attacks in the area."

"That's not possible, "Gabe said. "I made that barrier to last forever.

"Nothing lasts forever,' Dean scoffed. "Even you didn't stay dead. How did you manage that one anyway?'

"Because I didn't die in the first place, dipshit. Remember who you are dealing with here. I've been playing at being a Trickster for a long time, add my angel mojo to that, and I just outsmarted Luci. I skipped out of my vessel right before he shived me. My vessel bought it, but I was still around and just went back into my little witness protection program. Just bid my time till Annie here said her prayer, and BAM!, brought my vessel back and I am free roam the earth again."

"You are not here to roam the earth this time, pal," Dean replied. "There isn't going to be any gallivanting around for chicks, booze and sweets,"

"Why would I need to?" Gabe laughed. "When there's a hot chick right here and I hear she bakes the best pie in at least three counties." This caused Annie to turn a deep crimson.

Dean lunged at Gabe, grabbed him by his jacket and shoved him against the wall. "You don't talk about Annie that way," Dean growled. "You are here to protect her only. I swear if you screw that up, I will make it my mission to find a way to kill you for good."

"Whoa! Do I detect a hint of jealousy? Maybe's there's something leftover from a schoolboy's crush on his babysitter?" Gabe taunted as Dean paled.

"Stop it!" Annie yelled. "You two a fighting like a couple of teenagers, while there is a traumatized little girl upstairs trying to sleep."

Just then, there was the flash of headlights as a car turned in to the drive.

"Guys, we've got company," Sam said.

Dean instructed Annie to go upstairs with Katie and stay up there until one of them came and got her.

As the boys and the two angels walked out onto the porch, four men got out of the car. One of the men walked up the steps of the porch and said. "I am Aaron Lundeen, and these are my brothers. I am here to pick up my daughter."

"We've been worried about you Mr. Lundeen," Dean said. "The hospital said you would be here between six and seven. It's getting close to ten."

"Well, I had some car trouble on the way. Then I had to pick up my brothers, and we had to find the house," replied the man."

"And you couldn't call someone and let them know?" Dean asked. "Can I see some ID?"

"Excuse me?" the man asked.

"ID. You know, driver's license. Proof that you are, in fact, Aaron Lundeen."

"Oh, yeah," he replied. As he reached left hand behind him to grab his wallet, his right hand swung forward to grab Dean by the throat, his eyes turning red. One of the men in the yard used telekinesis to toss Sam across the porch.

"I'll take the girl now, and the priest, too," the demon growled.

"I don't think so," Sam exclaimed, grabbing a shotgun and blasting out a round, knocking the demon away from Dean.

"You think that is going to stop me? It will only slow me down. I have the power of my master behind me."

"And who is that?" Dean retorted. "I heard Voldermort was looking for a new gig."

A crash was heard on the roof, and then a scream. Immediately, Gabe disappeared, and the boys realized that two of the demons were gone as well.

"My master Moloch deserves to be feared and respected and you will show him such. Now hand them over to me or die"

"You are the only one that are going to die today," Cas said, suddenly behind the demons, and with a flick of his wrist a flash of light emanated from his hands and both demons were gone, exploding into a million black pieces of dust.

"Wow, Cas," Sam, said. "You are packing some new power."

Suddenly they saw two projectiles come out of the roof, followed by flashes of light and two clouds of dust.

As they turned to go inside to see if Annie was alright, they saw her coming down the stairs, carrying a sobbing Katie, with Gabriel right behind them.

"Two of those goons busted a hole in the roof to try to get to Annie and Katie," Gabe said. "They are nothing but dust now."

"Damn, we are going to have to paint traps on the attic ceiling after we repair the roof," Sam said. "We should have thought about that before."

"Don't worry about the roof," Gabe said. "I already took care of it. I patched the roof before I blew the idiots apart, so Annie could stay clean. They didn't get anywhere near her or Katie. I also moved the car to another county away from questioning eyes."

Annie sat in her Gran's rocking chair with Katie, while Katie continued to cry. "Here kiddo," Gabe said, zapping in some chocolate and handing it to the girl. "Do want some, too, Annie? There is never a bad time for chocolate," he said with a smile.

"I think what Katie really needs is some sleep," Annie said. At that Gabe brushed his fingertips across her forehead, and the little girl was asleep.

Just then, a police car pulled up in front of the house. Lt. Paul Morgan stepped out of the vehicle and walked up to the door. Annie knew him, as he had volunteered many times at the community center.

"Sorry for my late call Annie, but there have been reports of a disturbance at your house tonight."

"That's Ok, Paul. You know Sam and Dean," she said. "And this is my friend Gabe, from college, and his brother Cas. They couldn't make it Gran's funeral, but have just arrived to spend a few days with me anyway."

Paul acknowledged everyone's presence with a nod, and asked Annie if she knew what happened. Annie explained that there were four men that had tried to break in the home, but she hadn't seen what happened, as she had been upstairs checking on Katie. She said the boys had scared them away. At that Dean gave the officer a description of the "men". Given her standing in the community, Annie's explanation was accepted without question, as there was no evidence to the contrary that anything different had happened.

"That's not the only reason I came Annie. I needed to let you know that Aaron Lundeen's car was side-swiped by a semi-truck on Interstate 70 outside of Kansas City toinght. It burst into flames, and he didn't survive."

Annie gasped. "Poor Katie! She lost boh of her parents today. Paul, she can stay here of course."

"Annie, do you really think that is wise, with everything that you are going through yourself?" Sam asked.

"How can you say that Sam? Do you think Gran would have ever turned your family away when you needed it?" she countered.

"That was different and you know it Annie," Dean said.

"Well, since Katie is asleep," said Lt. Morgan, "she can stay here tonight. But Aaron Lundeen had a brother and sister-in-law in Illinois, and they want Katie move in them. Hopefully, they will be here within twenty four hours to pick her up.

Lt. Morgan left Katie in the care of Annie and the others and went about his business. Annie was tired and took Katie upstairs so they both could sleep.

The rest of them finished cleaning up the remains from the attack on the house.

"Well, at least we know what scum bag demon is behind all of this," said Dean. "Moloch."

"Whew," Gabriel whistled. "If Moloch is behind this, then Houston we have a really big problem. Moloch was one of Luci's generals, and a fallen angel himself. His specialty is human sacrifice through fire. With Luci in the cage, no wonder he is making a move."

**A/N: So this is what you get from me when I have to spend about four hours waiting in the ER for one of my clients to be seen for three minutes (**_**yes, three whole minutes**_**) by a Physician's Assistant, with nothing except a pen and one piece of notebook paper. Hopefully I have a good enough memory. At least all was OK ith everyone. And I did find something useful to work into the fic.**

**I will have very limited time this weekend, but I do have plenty of notes, if I do get any extra time to work on things. I just can't promise anything consistent.**

**Thanks again for your support!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: This chapter definitely takes a darker turn again, thus the M rating, in my opinion.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. I am, however, quite fond of them. I am also quite partial to my original characters :)**

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_It was dark. Dark except for the burning fires. They were everywhere, as far as the eye could see. They proved to be the only light in the cavern and she could tell that it went on for miles, deep under the earth. The air was heavy with the smell of burning sulfur to the point that she almost could not breath._

_It was not the only smell. She knew the other smell all too well from her years as a nurse. Except this time it was overwhelming. No human should ever have to smell that much blood. She looked down over the edge of the cliff that she was standing on and saw the streams of blood. Streams of blood flowing in between the hundreds of thousands of demons vying to get a spot closer to the victims who had produced it._

_She could see the victims by the hundreds as they were passed through the fires. She should have been able to hear their screams, except they were drowned out by the beating of the drums. Beating drums that roared in her ears. She willed herself to flee from the place, but she could not move her feet. Who, she wondered, could be responsible for this horror?_

"_You," a voice growled. She turned and saw the creature. It looked as though it had the head of a bull, with horns protruding behind its ears, but that was a kind description at best. Its face was gnarled and its eyes glowed red. The creature grabbed her by the arm, its claws digging into her skin and searing her flesh. "You are responsible for this. As long as you do not come to me, they will die."_

_He grabbed her by the shoulders and began to shake her. She looked down and saw a long blade in her hand, with unusual markings she had not seen before. He continued to shake her by the shoulders, screaming her name. She grabbed the blade by the hilt a rammed it in to his throat spraying blood into her own face. She chocked down a scream as his face dissolved into someone she knew._

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"Shit, Annie!" Sam exclaimed. "What was that about? You just punched me in the nose. And I have been trying to wake you for five minutes."

Annie looked up at Sam. There was blood dripping from his nose, as he pinched it. "It's not important, Sam," Annie replied as she glanced sideways at Katie. She could hear the little girl whimpering next to her as she started to stir.

"The hell it's not!" he insisted. "I think you might have broken my nose, so why don't you tell me what you're having nightmares about."

"Not here, not now," she said. "I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to. But let me help with that." Annie went to grab a first aid kit.

"No," Sam said, stopping her because Katie was sitting up. "I'll just have Cas heal it. Why don't you talk to Katie."

Sam went downstairs, as Annie and Katie got out of bed. Annie was drenched in sweat from her nightmare, but she didn't have time for a shower. As she looked out the window, she saw a police car was back in front her house, followed by another vehicle. She quickly threw on a pair shorts and a T-shirt and a pair of tennis shoes. She threw her hair in a pony tail and helped Katie get dressed quickly as well. When they came downstairs, she saw that Lt. Morgan was back with a young couple that he introduced as Chris and Janet Lundeen. Katie quickly ran up to her Aunt Janet, who gathered the girl into her arms.

"Katie was asleep last night when Lt. Morgan came by to talk about Aaron," Annie explained. "She just woke up and hasn't had breakfast. We haven't even had time to talk about anything. You are welcome to stay here and have breakfast with us."

"I think it is best if we take her to breakfast, just as family, in order to explain everything," said Chris Lundeen.

"Of course, I understand," Annie replied. Annie gathered Katie's things, and even gave her a few of the Fisher Price Little People toys they had played with, so she would have a few toys for the car ride. "If you need anything, please feel free to call me," she said, handing them a community center card and giving Katie a hug goodbye.

As the Lundeen's and Lt. Morgan left, Annie looked around the house. Katie was gone. Cas indeed had healed Sam's nose after that horrible nightmare. Gabe was whipping up breakfast, literally at the snap of his fingers. She had been so busy the last few days that she hadn't even realized that the boys had done a fairly decent job of keeping the house clean, and that Gran was gone. Really gone. She hadn't truly let that sink in yet. It was all overwhelming. It seemed as though none of them needed her right now. Before she hadn't wanted the quiet. But now, she needed to get out. To get away.

She stepped out onto the front porch. Before she realized it, she was walking, then jogging, then just flat out running down the street, with tears streaming down her face. Running away from the house, away from hunters and angels, and hopefully away from creatures that relished in the spilt blood and burnt flesh of human victims.

She had only gone five blocks before she slammed into the angel that suddenly appeared before her. The abrupt collision knocked her off balance and she started to fall backwards. He grabbed her by both arms and steadied her.

"Whoa, there hot stuff. Slow down. Where's the fire?" Gabriel asked. Annie paled and looked at him in horror, as if he could possibly know about her nightmare. "Hey look, if you need some air I understand. But you have Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dumber back there pretty freaked out. Let's at least go let them know you are Ok."

Gabe snapped his fingers and both of them were back in her kitchen. "She's alright boys, no need to worry," Gabe said. "She just needed a little fresh air. So, I am going to take her to get some. We'll be back in a bit." Before Sam, Dean or Annie could protest, Gabriel snapped his fingers again, and Annie found herself standing on a beach facing the ocean.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"On an island off the coast of Thailand. Nice little hidden gem. It doesn't get the same traffic as the fancy resorts, but the sand and surf here can't be beat."

Annie stood in silence for a few moments, taking it all in. Finally she said, "I never been to the beach before. I have never even seen the ocean before now."

"I guess that is my fault. Creating that barrier and all. Instead of sticking around and providing proper protection like a real Archangel should," Gabe said. "That's quite a shame, since you would look great in a bikini. I can provide one for you if you'd like." A wicked grin was plastered on his face.

Annie's eyes narrowed at him. "Do you actually enjoy getting into arguments with Dean? Because that is the least that will happen if I come back home from being out alone, _with you_, dressed in a bikini."

Gabe laughed as Annie took off her shoes. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just because I'm not going to take you up on your offer for the bikini, doesn't mean I'm going to let my first trip to the beach go to waste." With that, Annie waded out into the ocean, breathing in the salt air. It felt cleansing after her nightmare. She walked down the shore with Gabe by her side for a few moments before Gabe broke the silence.

"So, not that I don't appreciate seeing a Winchester get their clocked cleaned, but it doesn't seem like your style to me. Want to tell me what happened?" he asked.

"It was a nightmare," Annie replied.

"Sam gathered as much. He also said you were pretty violent and almost impossible to wake up. Doesn't sound like a typically nightmare to me."

"No, it wasn't," she said quietly, as once again tears fell down her face. Then she told Gabriel all of the details that she could remember, right up to the point that she woke up to Sam's broken and bleeding nose. "What do you think it means? Is it real?"

"Well, I don't think the part about Moloch turning into Sam was real. I think that was just Sam trying to wake you up and you coming back to reality."

"Moloch? Who's Moloch?" Annie asked.

"He's the chief bad guy in all of this and the creature you saw in your dream. You were upstairs last night when Dean mentioned that one of the demons revealed his master's name. I hate to cut your trip to the beach short, but I think we need to get back and have a pow wow with the rest of the group."

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As it turned out, Sam and Dean were so relieved that Annie was back and not harmed, that they didn't even think about they fact that they had been alone with Gabe. But they were more than concerned when they heard about the details of her nightmare.

"I am sorry, again, for punching you, Sam," Annie said.

"That's not important right now Annie," he said. "We need to figure out what's going on with this Moloch dude. So, Cas, Gabe, any answers?"

"Gabriel was correct," Cas replied. "Moloch is a fallen angel, much like Lucifer, but he was not an Archangel. However, he was one of Lucifer's top general's. With Lucifer back in his cage, it is likely he is making a move to consolidate power among demons."

"And the part about human sacrifice?" Dean asked.

"In earlier times, Moloch was well known for sacrificing children six years of age or younger, through fire," Cas replied. "Many human parents would consider it an honor to offer up their first born to Moloch. That tradition fell out of practice in the time of Jeremiah the prophet and so did Moloch's favor with Lucifer."

"It seems like now he is reversing the process," Gabe interjected. "He is giving the parents a chance to sacrifice themselves in an attempt to save their children. And by doing so trying to be top dog in Hell."

"Shit!" Dean spat out. "Do these bastards ever stop coming up with ways to pervert humanity?"

"A hunter all this time and you still need to ask?" Gabe said.

"So why me?" Annie asked. "If that nightmare was real, why does he want me to come to him?"

"Annie, you are a priest of God," Cas said. "If he can convince you to follow him, or if he can sacrifice you himself, that will be a greater advantage to him than hundreds of other human sacrifices."

"But I would never…" Annie replied.

"Not even if someone you cared about were threatened. Like Sam or Dean, or even the families at the community center?" Cas asked.

Annie remained silent and looked down.

"Annie, you can't ever, ever go to that creature," Sam said. "You have to promise us."

"Sam, how can you, or Dean, of all people ask that of me, after all you have done for the people you love, let alone people you don't know? That thing is killing people to get to me. I don't know where he is, but I do know that in my nightmare, I was the one killing him."

"Killing him with what?" Dean asked.

Annie described the blade from her nightmare, including the symbols on it. She even grabbed a pen and piece of paper drew some of the symbols from the blade.

Gabe and Cas looked at one another.

"That's definitely an Angel Killing Sword, Bro. Probably an Archangel blade, by the look of those symbols," Gabe said.

"Great!" Dean said, "We can use one of yours to gank the bastard. We just have to find him first."

"Dean, you make it sound like all we need is demon GPS," Sam said.

"Actually, by the description of Annie's dream, we may have a lead already. With a gathering of that many demons, with that many human sacrifices, it sounds like a Devil's Gate," Cas said.

"The Devil's Gate?" Sam asked. "But we closed that gate in Wyoming."

"Oh Sammy boy," Gabe said, "There is more than one Devils' Gate."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. I have been out of town. Also, we haven't had a flashback in awhile and I have missed little Dean. The idea for this one has been in the back of my head for awhile. I was just looking for the right spot to work it in to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. I also do not own C.S. Lewis or the Screwtape Letters, and I paraphrased the quote used in this chapter. **

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"What do you mean there is more than one Devil's Gate?" Dean demanded.

"Well, you don't think these guys just sign up for a Disney Express Pass to come to Earth do you?" Gabe replied. "There is more than one Devil's Gate in the world that can be active from time to time. Babylon. Mexico City. Wyoming. Cleveland. Those are the ones that I know of off the top of my head."

"So how do we know where to even start?" Annie asked.

"It is most likely going to be near where the sacrifices are taking place." Cas replied.

"So that means Mexico City and Babylon aren't really options." Annie said.

"Good, because I really would rather drive my baby to wherever we are going than be teleported half way across the world," Dean said.

Meanwhile, Sam had been on his laptop, searching through news stories. "Uh, guys, Wyoming has been pretty quiet. But there have been more fires and not just here in Kansas. They have been spreading across the Midwest. Illinois, Indiana, and a bunch in Ohio."

"It seems as though Moloch may being trying to access Earth through the Gate in Cleveland," Cas said.

"Cleveland, huh?" Dean smirked. "So if we go there looking for a Devil's Gate, do think we will find the Scoobies there, now that they have closed the one in Sunnydale."

"Nah, that one was just fictional." Gabriel said. "Do you think the Feds are the only ones that practice plausible deniability? Demons do it all the time."

"Two equal and opposite mistakes people make about demons" Dean said. "Not believing they exist or taking an unhealthy, obsessive interest in them. Plausible deniability makes not believing in them more likely, am I right?"

"You have actually read C. S. Lewis?" Sam asked.

"Well, they did make the _Screwtape Letters_ into a comic book. It made writing my sophomore English paper just as easy as if I used Cliff Notes," Dean replied.

"So, Mr. Tumnus, where do we go from here?" Annie asked.

"You, Annie, aren't going anywhere," Dean replied. "You are staying here, where it is safe."

"Yeah, right! Because it was so safe last night when four demons attacked that it took two Archangels to get rid of them."

"Well, you are still not going anywhere near Cleveland," Dean countered.

"Listen," Gabe interrupted. "Why don't Rick and AJ here go Simonize Cleveland. Get the lay of the land, see what they can scope out. Cas & I will hang out here with you."

"I am afraid that will not be possible," Cas stated.

"Why not?" Dean demanded.

"There is something else I need to attend to," Cas replied.

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Dean asked.

"I would rather not," Cas replied. "Not until I have answers and I know for sure if I am able to complete my mission."

"Well, it looks like it is just going to be you and me, sweet cheeks," Gabe said to Annie while grabbing her hand.

Sam and Dean packed up their things in preparation for a road trip to Cleveland. Annie also prepared some food for them to take on the road with them, including, at Gabe's protest, the remaining pie in the house. Before they left, Dean pulled both Gabriel and Annie aside to talk to each of them alone.

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"Look," Dean said to Gabriel. "Annie can be pretty hard-headed when she sets her mind to something. She used to go round and round with my dad about leaving this town, and she would win, _against him_. She's got that same look in her eye now. But I don't want her near Cleveland. So if you are serious about protecting her, then you need to get her out of here. Take her to Africa, take her to Fiji, hell, take her to the planet Vulcan. Just make sure she is as far away from this as possible."

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"I see the way Gabriel looks at you," Dean said Annie while loading supplies into the Impala. "You need to be careful."

"Oh, I see," Annie said. "So we are back to not trusting my judgment."

"It's not that," Dean said. "It's just that, well he makes me look monogamous."

Annie raised an eyebrow. "Monogamous with who, Sammy?" Dean blanched as his eyes widened in horror. "You know," she laughed, "there is an advantage to knowing about all your adventures. I get good dirt on you. Like knowing about a certain Chuck Shirley, or should I say 'Carver Edlund' and his fans, and the alternatives stories they like to write about you."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Dean replied.

"Yeah, well, I just have to say, that karma might take a long time, say like twenty years, to come around to bite you in the ass. But she always does, Dean. Speaking of which, I fully intend to keep that promise I made to you the last time we had a conversation along these lines."

"That wasn't a promise. That was a dream-crushing threat to a little boy." Dean said, with his best puppy dog eyes.

"Whatever, you know that look doesn't work on me. Promise or threat. The message still applies," Annie said.

"You wouldn't dare" Dean said.

"Try me."

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As Sam and Dean drove off in the Impala, Annie turned to the two angels standing on her porch. "Cas, before you go, I need to ask you and Gabriel a question or two."

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_Annie walked home from school, her backpack slung over her shoulder. She was crying and needed to get herself together before she got home. She had held back the tears at school and now felt like she could cry freely. But there was no way she was going to cry in front of Gran, let alone Dean and little Sammy, who were visiting with the their dad. Not about this._

_That stupid Davey Johnson had ditched her as his date for the Senior Prom. In the cafeteria, at lunch, in front of the whole school. What an asshole! All because he had heard some stupid rumor about how she had been seen making out with someone else under the bleachers. Someone else who was a girl. Annie could have cared less if he had heard that she had been caught making out with an elephant under the bleachers. What really hurt and angered her was that he had chosen to believe the rumors at all, when Davey knew that behavior like that went against Annie's character. She wasn't a cheater. Yet by believing those rumors, he had accepted that to be the truth, at least publicly. Then he took it a step further and exposed the issue in front of the whole school, instead of having a private discussion between the two of them._

_By the time she got home, she was able to stop the tears. She sat down at the kitchen table with a piece of her Gran's pie and a glass of milk. But then her Gran asked her if she wanted to go shopping for a prom dress that weekend._

"_I am not going to the prom anymore, Gran," Annie said. "Davey Johnson decided he'd rather not take me. I really don't want to talk about it right now." With that, Annie grabbed her pie and headed out to the front porch. Dean, who saw she was upset, followed her._

_Dean crawled up onto the porch swing next to Annie, as she sat there and ate her pie. Annie looked down and handed the rest of her pie over to him, suddenly not hungry anymore._

"_Thanks, Annie," Dean said. "You're the best. You know, you deserve someone better than Davey Johnson."_

"_What? What are you talking about Dean?"_

"_Someone better. Someone, like maybe, me?" he said as he looked up at her._

"_Oh, Dean," Annie said, as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "I am afraid I am too old for you."_

"_But you could wait for me Annie. I'll catch up with you, I promise."_

"_Dean, by the time you are older, you'll have so many girls your own age chasing after you, you won't even notice me anymore. And I'll still be too old for you."_

"_Still don't mean stupid Davey Johnson's not a creep."_

"_I am not going to disagree with you there, Dean."_

"_That's why I sent him away."_

"_What?"_

"_He came by this morning looking for you. And I told him you weren't here."_

"_What exactly did you tell him, Dean?"_

"_Um, maybe that you were already at school, with your other friend…your girlfriend that you like, to, um...kiss."_

"_DEAN WINCHESTER! How could you? You know that is not the truth! And how do you even know about those kind of things?"_

"_I'm sorry, Annie," Dean said, refusing to look Annie in the eyes. "I just wanted to make him go away, so I said the first thing I could think of. I just remembered those things from the TV in the motel rooms we stay in with dad."_

"_Dean you are too young to watch those types of programs. Does you dad know you watch them?" Dean continued to avoid Annie's gaze and refused to answer her. By this, Annie knew that John Winchester had no idea what his son was watching when he wasn't at the motel._

"_You need to stop watching those types of programs. If I get wind that you are still doing it, your dad will find out. And Dean Winchester, if you EVER interfere with my relationships again, I will personally see to it that you NEVER get pie in this house AGAIN!"_

_Dean Winchester finally looked at Annie Laughlin, this time, with a sheer look of panic on his face._


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: This chapter is has bits and pieces that hint a few things to come, but other than that has a few lighter spots as well. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. I also do not own ****_Star Trek_**** or ****_Star Trek Deep Space Nine._**

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"So do you think it will work?" Annie asked.

"It has the possibility to work," Cas replied. "But the idea is not without its risk."

"Of course it's risky," Annie said. "But it's a greater risk for me sit by and do nothing when the time comes.

"I am amazed you were able to work so much out for yourself, Annie," Gabe said.

"Well, I thought there would be away around it. I hoped one or both of you would know enough of the details to help me figure the rest out," she said. "So tell me, what are the risks?"

"First of all, Gabriel, as the guardian assigned to you, is the only one who could help you manage it. No other angel could do it. So he needs to avoid capture or injury in the process," Cas said.

"You don't worry about me. Nobody ever pulls a fast one over on me." Gabe quipped.

"OK," Annie said. "What else?"

"You will have to trust him completely," Cas said. "And if you have sustained injuries, it will make things even more difficult."

"Thanks, Cas. This helps a lot," Annie said.

"You are welcome," he replied. "But if you are to have any hope to even attempt such a thing, then I must set out on my own mission."

"Good luck with that, Bro!" Gabe said, slapping Cas on the back before he departed. "So, Annie, ready to start building the trust?"

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"So," Dean said as he drove north on US highway 59, "they are keeping something from us."

"Yep," Sam said. "Definitely keeping something from us."

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Annie looked around. There was sand as far as the eye could see, with mountains off in the distance. The sky had a red and purple tinge to it. And the air was hot and dry, hotter than anywhere she ever been. So hot that it took her breath away. She felt as though she gained about fifty pounds. She didn't think she would ever complain about a summer in the plains again.

"Where are we?" Annie asked

"On Vulcan" Gabriel replied. "It was Dean's idea. He thought you would insist on going to Cleveland and wanted me to keep you to of trouble. Technically, we are in a warehouse similar to the one in Ohio. This one is outside of Joplin, MO, but the effect is still the same. We better get going, Spock's mating ritual is about to start."

Annie's eye's widened in shock. "You're serious!"

"What? You don't like it? We can always go to Deep Space Station K-7 and watch the mayhem the tribbles will cause. That's more up my alley anyway. I regret I didn't think of the whole tribble thing myself."

Annie paused a moment before answering. "Can we go to the one where Captain Sisko and the crew of _Deep Space Nine_ travel back in time to K-7?" she asked. "That was even more fun to watch than the original. I think I would like to see it in person."

Gabriel's laughter was so loud, it rang out across the desert.

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Annie caught her reflection in the mirror in one of the guest quarters of Deep Space Station K-7 that Gabriel had created for them.

"Please don't start yapping about how the skirt is too short or the uniform is too tight," Gabe said. "You look amazing. You should wear blue more often."

"No, I wasn't thinking about the fit of this thing, though it is a bit shorter than I would like," Annie said as she tugged on the hem of the skirt. "I have never worn my hair up in a beehive before. I have a picture of my mom where she used to wear her hair up like this. I never realized how much I looked like her before. I don't remember that much about her."

Of all the things Gabriel had imagined her bringing up, this one had never even crossed his mind. "You miss her."

"I miss not knowing her, who she was," Annie replied. "I guess that is why this whole Moloch thing hits me especially hard. All of those kids who will never know their mom or dad. I need to put a stop to it."

"_We _will, Annie, when the time is right. You are not going to do this alone." Gabe said, grabbing her by the hand. "But for now, let's go find some tribbles."

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Sam and Dean made it to Cleveland around four in the morning. They grabbed a motel room and crashed for a few hours before starting their search for the Devil's Gate. Once again, their attempts to talk to the children yielded little information. But the trail was clearly leading them to Cleveland. There had been two fires here this week.

"Are there any other common links the families have, Sam," Dean asked. "Other than the fact that all of the kids were six or younger?"

Sam searched through the files for a little bit. "It seems as though a few of the parents worked for Castor Industries, but I don't see where that is consistent in all of the cases."

"Did you say Castor Industries?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I have heard that name before," Dean said while rummaging through his notes. "Here it is. That registrar in Leavenworth, her babysitter's husband worked for Castor Industries. Maybe there are other connections like that."

The boys spent their day researching over the internet and telephone. They soon found that all of the families either were related to or knew someone who worked for Castor Industries.

"So what kind of business is Castor Industries?" Dean asked.

"They are diversified and have several locations across the Midwest. But they are mostly are involved in steel and oil. And their headquarters...right here in Cleveland." Sam replied.

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Gabe took Annie to the bar on Deep Space Station K-7and order them each a Romulan Ale and brought it over to the table where he and Annie sat down.

"Drink up milady," Gabe said.

Annie brought the strange blue liquid to her lips hesitantly and took a sip. "It's real alcohol!" she exclaimed.

"Of course it is, dear. If I am going to create a television show for us to go to, at the very least I am going to have real alcohol to drink."

Annie laughed. She could definitely count on Gabriel to bring laughter wherever he was. They sat in the bar talking and watching the people come in out, and the population of tribbles grow. At one point, they listened in on Chief O'Brien, Worf, Odo and Dr. Bashir from the crew of _Deep Space Nine_ discuss a man they thought was Captain Kirk, whom Annie knew was not.

"You know Gabriel, you could pass for Kirk in more ways than one," Annie said. "Not only do you have a slight resemblance to the Kirk of this time, but I've been warned that your reputation with the ladies is similar to his."

"Whatever. Could. You. Mean. Annie?" Gabe emphasized each word in his best Kirk imitation as Annie once again laughed. Suddenly, Gabriel's face creased in a frown. "I need to go check on something. I'll be right back."

As he said that, he disappeared. Annie then noticed a Klingon taunting Mr. Scott across the bar, and Mr. Scott take a swing at the Klingon. The next thing she knew, a barroom brawl had broken out, just like on the show. She was trying to stay out of everyone's way, and wondering where Gabe had disappeared to, especially at a time like this. She tried to make her way out bar, bpbbing and weaving her way around the men who were fighting. But one time she bobbed when she should have weaved and she caught a right hook to her jaw and fell backwards onto the floor. Damn, she thought to herself as she tasted the blood from her now split lip, I guess karma didn't long to catch up to me for punching Sam.

"Gabe," she sighed. "Where are you?"

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Time didn't move the same way in Heaven as it did on Earth. But Cas was aware of its movement on Earth while he was in Heaven. He had spent the better part of an Earth day looking for it. It should be here. All of them came back here when one of them had fallen. Not rebelled like he had. But truly fallen from grace. Like Lucifer, or Anna. Or Moloch. Somehow Lucifer had managed to hang on to his, though none knew for sure how that was possible.

They would also return here when one of his brothers had been killed. This explained why Gabriel had managed to hold on to his. He never fell. He just left. And somehow, he always managed to escape death.

Cas needed to find the one he was looking for. He needed to find the right one. He knew the markings he was looking for. But it wasn't going to be easy to find among the thousands in here. A third of his brothers had fallen with Lucifer alone. In the recent days of chaos surrounding the attempted Apocalypse, he had lost other brothers as well. And he had to find Moloch's. He needed to find Moloch's Killing Sword.

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"Dean, Castor Industries has a steel mill with two blast furnaces here in Cleveland," Sam looked up from his laptop. "They are in the industrial district. But they halted production almost two years ago due to low demand for steel and they have been laying off employees"

"Blast furnaces? So?" Dean asked, taking a swig of beer.

"Well, I was just thinking about Annie's dream. I know it's not much to go on, but she described the fires that people were being sacrificed in, and well, we are here to look for a Devil's Gate. What better place to hide one like that?"

"Like a place where you burn one of the hottest furnaces twenty four-seven? Let's go check it out." Dean said as he grabbed his jacket.

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Gabriel returned to the K-7 bar to see fall Annie on the floor in the middle of the brawl with a bleeding lip. He popped over to her, picked her up in his arms with a look of concern on his face and said, "We need to leave now, Annie."

"Ya, think? I just got a busted a lip!"

"Sweetheart, it's not just that. We've got company." With that, the scene around them dissolved into reveal an empty warehouse, as Gabriel took Annie home. As soon as they were gone, the warehouse doors flew open and three dark figures walked in, looking around for the pair who were no longer there.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Reminder, for the purposes of this fic, Chuck is only a prophet, and not God.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. **

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"What do you mean we had company?" Annie demanded.

"I left because I sensed others were entering the warehouse," Gabe said, setting Annie down on the kitchen counter. "There were two demons, and I was able to take care of them pretty quickly. But there were more right behind them. I thought it would be safer if we just left and came back here, where there are wards and traps in place. And I will add more, just to be sure."

"And, how is it that they found us? I thought you would have protected the warehouse from demons."

"Do you want the truth?"

"No, I want you to lie to me, because that will help me trust you that much more," Annie said sarcastically.

"I put in the protections and wards in years ago. But I didn't bother to check if they were still good before we went back. I think some of them failed. I should have done better. I _will _do better when I add more protective wards to the house."

Annie thought this over while Gabriel healed her busted lip. "Will it be enough? They are just going to keep coming, aren't they? They won't stop until they get to me, or until I go to Moloch myself, right?"

"Annie, you are not going to him. Cas isn't even back yet. We don't have everything we need to face Moloch and take care of him for good. So don't start talking like that."

Annie looked down and chewed on her lower lip, sorry that she ever brought it up. But this was more than she was used to and she was wondering if she could handle it all. It was much different to experience it for herself than it was to hear Sam and Dean telling her about their hunts.

"Hey! I just healed that lip." Gabe placed his hands on the counter on either side of Annie. "And you are already damaging my handiwork. What gives?"

Annie brought her eyes up to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry. It's just…" Before she could finish the thought, Gabriel wrapped his arms around her waist, leaned forward and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. Without thinking, Annie reached her hands to cups his face, returning the kiss. Then suddenly she stiffened and pulled away. "You're an angel."

"Well, I try." Gabe smirked.

"No, I mean, there has to be some kind of rule against this. We can't. I mean…" Annie struggled to find the words.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not someone who is really big on following the rules."

"So they apply to everyone else but you? If I recall, you and your brothers were sent to clean up a problem that involved some angels who got a bunch of human women pregnant. And weren't you responsible for destroying their kids? If that isn't sending a message that humans and angels getting involved is wrong, I'm not sure what is."

"Not much gets by you does it? Those were fallen angels, sweetheart, who..."

"As opposed to someone who been AWOL from Heaven for a millennia or two?" she interrupted.

"The point is, they were creating their own army to go up against Heaven. They had to be stopped. This is not the same thing."

"You're sure about that?"

"Hey, I've been dating hundreds of women for centuries, and never heard any complaints from my Dad," Gabriel said as Annie looked at him is dismay. She got down from the counter, pushed her way passed Gabe and ran out of the kitchen.

"Oh, crap! Annie, wait!"

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Chuck Shirley awoke with a hangover. Though he had to admit it was slightly better than the headache he had when he drank all that whiskey and passed out. It had been a long time since he had one of _those_ dreams. He almost thought he was fortunate enough to be done with them. No such luck. And this one was a doozy. He reached over and grabbed his phone. He needed to get a hold of Dean Winchester.

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Sam and Dean weren't sure what to expect when they arrived at the Castor Industries blast furnace. What they found was a mostly empty site. There was one guard at the main gate; otherwise the place appeared to be deserted. The lone guard was sleeping when they arrived, so they snuck by him and broke into the office. Looking though the files, Sam was able to determine that Castor Industries had only acquired the location thirty months ago from another company and then began to shut down steel production over the last twenty four months. In that time, not only had they shut down steel production, but they had also begun to remove and ship out all of the iron on the site. In the last six months, they had begun to disassemble the blast furnace, which was also made of iron and other metals.

"No iron, uh?" Dean said, walking over to the office window and looking out across the empty yard. "Sounds like someone is making this place a little more demon-friendly to me." Something across the yard caught Dean's attention. "Sammy, if they are taking apart the blast furnace, then what's that burning over there?"

Before Sam could answer, Dean's phone rang.

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"Annie, please let me in. Please let me explain." Gabriel stood outside of Annie's bedroom door after she had closed it in his face. He could have teleported into her room, but he figured it would only upset her more. Instead, he would occasionally send in a gift in his attempt to apologize.

Annie sat on her bed with her legs pulled up and arms wrapped around her knees. She was ignoring Gabe's pleas to let him into her room and grateful that he hadn't decided to pop in anyway. He did keep send her an occasional item in an attempt to soften her up. So far he had sent her a lollipop bouquet and chocolate roses.

She had an idea how long he had been on Earth and could only guess how many times he had been around the block. But she was on emotional overload right now and it was just a little tough to digest. So it wouldn't hurt him to stew for awhile either.

Annie laid down her side, curled up into a ball and cried herself to sleep.

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"Hello," Dean answered his phone.

"Um, uh, Dean... this is Chuck Shirley."

Damn, Dean thought to himself, this can't be good.

"Dean, are you there?"

"Yeah. I'm here. I was just thinking about what possible reason you could have to call me in the middle of the night when I haven't heard from you since before we put Luci in his cage."

"Um, well, see...I think you and Sam are in trouble."

"Actually, we are in Cleveland, but that's a pretty good guess."

"Crap! You're already there. That means somebody is cutting it pretty close this time."

"Cutting what close? What is going on Chuck?' Dean demanded."What the hell did you see?"

"Well, it something about a Devil's Gate in Cleveland, and thousand of demons being set loose and humans sacrificed in fire."

"How about you tell me something I don't already know?"

"What? How could you know that?"

"Well, thing is, apparently, Sam and I not only I have a lousy, cheesy-novel writing, drunk-ass prophet, but we also have wound-bandaging, best pie-baking priest of God on our side, and she filled us in already."

"The red-head?"

"Yeah, the red-head."

"What, she doesn't have a name?"

"Not to you, she doesn't."

"Well, she is in trouble, too."

"Yeah, we know. Moloch is after her."

"Do you know why?"

"What? No. Tell me what you know."

"Oh, so now I am important to you again."

"Chuck, cut the crap out and tell me."

"There is a seal over the Devil's Gate. While some of the demons are able to come and go right now due to the other sacrifices being made by those families, if Moloch is able to sacrifice a priest of God, _your_ priest, then it will open the seal and all of those demons, and Moloch himself, will be able to exit Hell."

"Shit! No wonder he is so desperate to get to her. So how do you know this?"

"I saw him. He does get to her. She kills him, but not before he...it doesn't look good for your priest, Dean."

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_Annie recognized this place. She was back again. Back in this infernal pit where so much death occurred. And he was here. He wasted little time approaching her. _

_"One of my followers discovered you last year and brought you to my attention. I soon realized that the sacrifice of your blood would open that damn seal that keeps me wasting away in this forsaken place. I have been trying to get to you ever since Lucifer failed at his attempt to wipe out humanity. I bid my time at first. But I grow weary of waiting. So now you will come to me. If you fail to do so, I will bring destruction upon those you hold dear."_

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She was having a nightmare again. Gabriel could tell by the sounds coming from her room. So to hell with giving her space, he was going in.

Annie woke up from the nightmare at the same time Gabriel popped in her room. She was shaking and her breathing was ragged and shallow.

"Gabe!" she cried." He was sitting next to her in an instant and he pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his chest, tears streaking her face, her earlier annoyance at him forgotten.

"He...he said he was going to come after the people I care about if I didn't come to him," she sobbed. "He said he needed my blood to open some sort of seal."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry this has taken me longer than usual. Busier weekend than I expected. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. **

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Gabriel continued to hold Annie while she told him about her nightmare. While listening to her, he opened up one of the chocolate roses and fed her a few pieces at a time. He snuck a piece for himself every once in a while, too.

"I think Sam and Dean should come back here," she said. "I am afraid Moloch will go after them because of me."

"Sam and Dean are big boys, Annie. They have been hunters for a long time. Hell, they even managed to put Luci in his cage. I think they can manage to handle themselves against my loser brother Moloch."

"Can we at least warn them?"

"Warn them that demons from Hell are out to get them? They are probably aware of that. But we can call them in the morning and tell about your nightmare. Right now, you need some real sleep."

Annie sighed as Gabriel kissed her forehead. "Stay with me?" she asked.

"Sweetheart, I am not going anywhere."

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Dean filled Sam in on Chuck's phone call as they walked across the empty yard to investigate whatever was burning in area of the disassembled blast furnace. Sam was silent for a few moments when Dean was finished, then "You mean, she…No, Dean we can't let that happen!"

"I know, Sammy. We will figure something out."

As they looked around the area where the blast furnace had been, they found it, too was mostly empty. Where the blast furnace had once stood, there was now nothing but a crater. The crater glowed brightly as if it were on fire, and smelled of sulfur. Sam and Dean cautiously approached edge of the cavity and looked down.

The crater was deep. Dean guessed it varied in depth between one to two hundred feet. It was at least thirty feet wide. He couldn't tell the source of the fire, just that it was hot at the edge of the crater. There was a ledge on the north side of the cavity, about twenty feet down. The ledge was about eight feet wide. He could see what had to be the gate alongside it. There was Devil's Trap on the wall of the cavity, similar to the Devil's Gate in Wyoming, except from his view, he could not see a whole in the center, like the one the Colt was placed into to lock the Gate. However there was some strange slit to the left of the trap. The only problem was, he and Sam would need a ladder to get any closer. And probably some fire protection gear. He did see some crevices on either side of the trap. Not huge, but big enough for a few demons to sneak in and out of, and around the trap. The sacrifices were breaking the ground around the seal. All the more reason to put an end to this sooner rather than later.

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The sun peeked through the curtains, waking the sleeping red head. She brushed the curls out of her face as she opened her green eyes to see what morning held in store. She stretched her arms above her head as she yawned and rolled over. As she did so, she saw Gabriel standing in her room, looking out the window. "Good morning," she yawned.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Gabriel exclaimed. "About time you woke up. I thought you were going to sleep all day."

"Why, what time is it?"

"About half past ten. I am thinking you need to eat. Maybe Belgian waffles? We could even go to Belgium if you would like."

The grumbling in her stomach confirmed Gabriel's theory about needing to eat. "I'll take you up on the offer for the waffles, but can we just stay here for now?

"Whatever you wish. Let's go eat."

As Annie and Gabe ate the Belgian waffles that he had brought in, Annie began to realize that she hadn't been to the store in awhile. Gabe insisted he could bring in whatever they would need at a snap of his fingers, where as Annie insisted she wanted to get out of the house and do something normal. Gabriel was willing to compromise as long he could go to the store with her. Annie wasn't so sure how normal of shopping trip that would end up being.

Annie went upstairs to take a shower while Gabriel called Sam and Dean as he had promised they would do the night before. As Annie was finishing getting dressed, Gabe popped in behind her.

"Hey there, hot stuff."

"Gabe! Don't startle me like that! Besides, what if you would have come in before I was finished dressing?"

"All the better for me!" Annie smacked him on the arm as he continued. "Listen, Dean got a call from Chuck Shirley. He had a vision that basically backs up your nightmare. Sam and Dean are pretty worried about you. They found the Devil's Gate, and what looks like a seal, and have seen the evidence of what the other sacrifices have already done. They are headed back this way so we can develop a plan of action."

"But there is not much we can do until Cas gets back."

"Well, Cas is back. He is downstairs right now. I would like you to stay here with him, while I go to the store."

"But, what about me doing something normal? And can you handle the store by yourself?"

"Annie, please, just stay here. I am sure I will be fine."

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Cas was sitting at the kitchen table when Annie walked in. He had several long blades in front of him.

"Gee, thanks Cas, but I already have a set of steak knives."

Cas looked up at her. "They are not steak... humans," he sighed. "I do not understand why Gabriel finds it so easy to live among you."

"Well, he has been here on Earth a lot longer than you have. He seems to have acquired more people skills than you have while you have been here. Though maybe not enough, or perhaps just the wrong kind. Since we are talking about him, can I ask you a few questions about Gabriel?"

"What is it that you would like to know?"

"Dean says, well even Gabe by his own admission admits that he has, well quite an extensive past with other women."

"That is not a question, that is a statement of fact. But I assume you are concerned with this because Gabriel has shown an interest in you?"

"Well, yes."

"I can say that by my own observation, Gabriel has treated you differently than he does most others, and I take that as a demonstration of respect that he has for you that he rarely offers to anyone else."

"What do you mean?"

"He has not engaged in his typical behavior since he has been here. While he still seems to maintain his sense of humor, he has not used it to deceive or ambush you as he has done so with the Winchesters. He has also not been seeking out companionship with other women. He has been here at all times, with you."

Annie paused as she realized the truth of what Castiel was saying. She couldn't remember a time that Gabriel had left her, except to go after demons in the warehouse. "But isn't there a rule against angels being…involved with humans? I mean Gabriel was in a war over that."

"Those were fallen angels and their children, waging a war against Heaven and humanity."

"That's what Gabriel said."

"Well, it is still not a generally accepted practice. Angels generally serve God better when they remain detached from emotions. Gabriel is more…connected to his emotions than most angels."

"Really, Cas? Because you seemed to serve pretty well when you became more connected to your emotions and became part of Team Free Will."

"That is not important to this conversation. Annie, if you are looking for clarification, perhaps you should ask someone who can give you a more definitive answer."

"And who would that be?"

"Why is it that priests find it so easy to pray for others and not themselves? Annie, if you want an answer to this question, you should ask God."

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So, maybe going to the grocery store by himself wasn't the brightest idea. He was watching the other customers. They were placing items in a cart and taking them to the front of the store, unloading them, paying for them, reloading them in the cart and taking them to their vehicles to take them home. What a load of crap! That was way too much work. He should have just popped them into the house like he had originally wanted to. In fact that was what he was doing. As he saw something he wanted, or Annie had put on a list of things she needed, he would just snap his fingers and send it to the house. He gave a college kid quite a fright when he went to gab a twelve pack of beer and Gabe sent it to the house for Dean instead and the kid suddenly found himself without the beer he was reaching for. Well, at least there was an upside to this experience.

But he had spoken to Cas this morning before he had left. Now he hoped Annie and Cas would have the chance to talk while he was gone. He realized that Cas wasn't the smoothest wingman a guy could have. But, hey at least Cas had wings, and maybe if Annie talked to Cas, it would help her understand that he wasn't such a bad guy, or angel, after all.

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"So, what did you really bring, Cas?" Annie asked.

"Angel Killing Swords. These have been abandoned by their owners when they fell from grace. Do any of them look familiar to you?"

Annie looked over the blades laid out on her kitchen table. One of them caught her eye. "That one," she pointed out. "That was the one that was in my dream. The one I used to kill Moloch. It has the right markings."

"It should. It was his Killing Sword."

"I thought Gabriel said the markings I drew belonged to an Archangel's Killing Sword."

"He said it was probably was an Archangel's. But where Lucifer was jealous of the place that humans had in God's heart, Moloch was jealous of the place the arch's had. He fashioned his sword after theirs as much as possible. He tried to emulate them in many ways. He left Heaven when Lucifer did, because he wanted to hold a higher place in Lucifer's world than he thought he had in God's."

"So why is his sword so important?"

"There is a story in Heaven that Moloch wanted to be so high among the angels, that he enchanted the swords, so that only his own could kill him. He was trying to prevent himself from destruction after he left Heaven."

"So, then, this is the sword that I will use to kill Moloch?"

Sam and Dean had chosen that moment to walk into the house.

"No. You will not be the one killing Moloch." Dean said.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Ok, we are in the home stretch. We have just a few more chapters and an epilogue to go. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. **

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"You aren't going anywhere near Moloch. Sammy and I will handle it, along with some help from the God Squad."

"But in my nightmare, I was the one that killed him," Annie countered. "Even Chuck's vision confirmed that."

As they were talking, Annie began to notice that items kept appearing on the kitchen counter. Items that had mostly been on her grocery list. Would it too much trouble for him to put them away where they belonged, she thought to herself.

"Chuck's vision also seemed to indicate that Moloch was going to kill you, too, Annie," Sam said softly. "None of us want to see that happen."

"I don't want to die either, but we have to stop this monster. If I am the one that can do it, then I will. I don't want other people dying if I can stop it."

"It doesn't have to be you, Annie," Dean said. "We have been able to change destiny before, we can do it again." As he was talking, a twelve pack beer appeared in his hands. Annie bit back a laugh. Gabriel seemed to have a special sense about where Sam and Dean were and had chosen that moment to use it.

"What?" Dean exclaimed as he grabbed onto the beer. "There is a God!"

"Well, you are already knew that, but it's not me," Gabriel said as arrived back at the house. "I do get my sense of humor from my Dad, though. You're welcome by the way. So, what did I miss?"

"Sam and Dean were trying to convince Annie that they are able to change the outcomes of Chuck's visions," interjected Cas. "Though my own observations of their attempts to do so contradict their statements."

"What do you mean? We stopped Lilith from having a night of passion with Sam."

"Yes, but all of the events in Chuck's vision up to that point occurred, even when you tried to avoid them."

"So we follow the script, but we can change the ending?" Annie asked.

"I still don't like it. Besides, even if we find a way for you to kill Moloch, there is no way you can go near him and remain clean," Sam said.

"I think that is the least of our problems," Annie replied. "Stopping Moloch is our priority."

"I still think Sam or I should be the ones who go in after him, now that we no where the Gate is."

"And just how do you intend to do that?" Annie asked. "Do you think he is going to let you walk right in? In my nightmare, there were thousands of demons in there. He _wants_ me to come to him. He _needs_ me to come to him so he can open that gate. I am the only one that will be able to get close to him without a fight."

"As much as I hate to admit it," Gabriel said. "Annie is right. No one else will be able to get close enough to Moloch."

"So what are we supposed do?" Dean retorted. "Sit back and watch you go in?"

"No," Gabriel said. "We go in and get her out, before it's too late."

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They agreed that they would wait until the next day before going back to the Devil's Gate in Cleveland, though they would go via teleportation instead of driving, much to Dean's dismay. Sam and Dean spent most of the day checking over the supplies and gear they had, deciding what they could take and what they would leave behind.

Annie spent the day baking, mostly in attempt to calm her nerves. For although she knew she was the one that needed to kill Moloch, it didn't make it any easier to think about what she had to do. However, Gabriel had decided he was going to help her bake. At times it felt like she was being helped by a five year old. He wanted to taste everything at every point in the process and he didn't understand why everything took so long when, when he could simply whip it up at the snap of his fingers. He also kept trying to distract her by trying to tickle her and occasionally sneak in a kiss. But Sam and Dean were in and out of the house so much that he didn't have much success. By the time she was done, the kitchen looked like a disaster and she put Gabe to working cleaning it, since he was the source of the greater than usual mess. Not that it took him long to set things right.

After dinner, the group decided to have a quiet evening watching a movie in the living room. Gabriel picked out a movie called _Van Helsing_, which he obviously had never seen. While Annie made popcorn for the group, Dean confronted Gabriel.

"How stupid can you get?" he asked.

"How stupid do you want me to be?" Gabriel retorted. "I haven't seen this. I only know the hero's name in this movie is Gabriel and the chick's name is Anna. I thought it would be fitting," wiggling his eyebrows.

"Dude, besides the fact that this movie is about killing monsters," Sam said. "Anna dies at the end. Not exactly the movie Annie wants to see tonight."

"Sorry," Gabriel replied. "I'll pick another one."

"As long as it is not a chick flick," Dean said.

Annie walked back in at this moment. "What, so we aren't going to watch _When Harry Met Sally_?"

"Absolutely not!" Dean replied.

'Oh, darn…Waiter, there is too much pepper on my paprikash," Annie quoted

"But I would be proud to partake of your pecan pie." Gabriel quoted back at her.

Dean and Sam just rolled their eyes. They decided to watch _Ferris Beuller's Day Off_. While it wasn't a newer movie, it was certainly suited both Dean and Gabriel. Annie recalled that Dean used almost any excuse he could to get out of school when he was going. And the kinds of stunts that Ferris pulled in the movie could have easily been invented by Gabe.

But at the point in the movie that Ferris said, "Pardon my French, but Cameron is so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass, in two weeks you'd have a diamond," the room fell silent and everyone's attention turned towards Cas.

"Why are you all looking at me?" inquired Cas. And the room erupted in laughter.

Annie was sitting on the couch, in between Dean and Gabriel. Gabriel held Annie's hand while she leaned into his shoulder. Dean spent most of the movie eyeing Gabriel suspiciously. Towards the end of the movie, Annie received a phone call and left the room to take it. When she came back, she was clearly in a more somber mood.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"There was a break-in at the community center tonight." Annie replied.

"Is everything Ok? Do we need to go check it out?" Dean asked.

"No, my assistant is taking care of it. The police are there. It's probably just some kids messing around. Listen, I think I am going to call it a night. I will see you guys in the morning."

As Gabriel got up to follow Annie upstairs, Dean grabbed him by the arm. "Whoa, there city slicker, where do you think you're going?"

"With Annie."

"Are…are you sleeping with her?" Dean growled.

Gabriel laughed. He realized he could really mess with hunter's head on this if he wanted to, but that none of them, especially Annie, needed that tonight. "Well, that's really none of your business. But, if you must know, no I'm not. I have been watching over while she sleeps since her last nightmare, to make sure she doesn't have anymore." And with that, Gabriel disappeared.

Cas, too left. He felt as though they would need back up from others in the garrison if, in the worst case scenario, the seal was broken, and demons escaped from Hell tomorrow. He wanted to make sure others were on hand to help them out in that case. He would return in the morning to assist them with their plan.

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Annie looked over at Gabe. It was amazing to her that an angel that didn't need sleep was so easily able to find it the night before such a big confrontation. She, on the other hand, couldn't shut off her mind. She had taken Cas' advice and had been praying about what to do about Gabriel. She hoped she got an answer soon, and that it was one she could live with, because she found herself growing more attached by the day to this candy-loving angel and the antics he had brought into her life.

But mostly, sleep had eluded her because she had lied to them. The break-in at the community center was more than just a break-in. Tom Norton, a young man with autism, who served as the center's janitor, had been working when the break-in occurred. And now he had gone missing.

She didn't think this was a coincidence. Moloch had already threatened to come after the people she cared about. Other than the people in this house, the people at the community center were those closest to her. So she had already made her decision before she was off the phone earlier this evening. She already knew their small group had planned to go to the Devil's Gate tomorrow. She would just go sooner. She couldn't risk Tom being killed because of her. She just had to hope the others would get there in time. She reached over and touched the angel's cheek before giving him a light kiss. As she slipped out of the bed, he grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going, Sweetheart?" he asked. "Anything you need, I can bring it right here."

"That may be true, but I really don't want a toilet in my bed," she answered.

"Ok, you have a point," he said. "Hurry back."

"I will," she lied.

She was glad she kept a change of clothes in the downstairs bathroom and that is where she headed to change before leaving a note for him in the kitchen. She found Moloch's blade that Cas had brought and tucked it up her sleeve. She stepped out of the front door and away from the protection of the house, in search of the demons who could take her to Moloch. It didn't take her long. Within a few block of the house, she was approached by two strangers.

"Come to your senses, have you?' one of them jeered.

"No need for small talk," she said. "Let's just get this over with."

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**A/N: The little exchange between Dean and Gabriel (How stupid can you get?/How stupid do you want me to be?) is from Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy. All other movie quotes were referenced in the chpater itself.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hold on tight. Please keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times. And remember, it ain't over 'til it's over. Yeah, I know I have stressed a few of you out before. I think I am going to do it again. You have been warned. **

**Thanks for sticking with me this far and for all the love. We are almost at the finish line.**

**There is a line in this chapter from a Jars of Clay song. It actually inspired a part of this chapter. It helped resolve an issue. There is also a line toward the end of this chapter that isn't mine. I lifted it from a Rich Mullins song.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. **

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Gabriel woke with a start. Annie wasn't back yet. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he knew it was too long for her to be gone. When he couldn't sense her in the house, he really became concerned.

He looked around the house in what he knew would be a futile attempt. That is when he found the note in the kitchen next to the pies they had baked earlier that day.

_Gabriel,_

_I am sorry- I lied to you. He is starting to take people in the town, in my town. He took Tom Norton from the community center tonight. If I don't go to him now, it's going to get worse. I can stop him. Just please get there soon._

_Annie_

He crumpled the note as he disappeared into the guest room. "Wake up!" he yelled at the two sleeping hunters. "Cas! Get your sorry ass down here! We're leaving now!"

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Travelling with demons was not the same as teleporting with angels. Annie felt like she was being squeezed through a tube of toothpaste and liquefied in a blender all at the same time. To make it worse, they felt the need to stop twice on their way to Cleveland. Each time they stopped, Annie ending up puking. The second time, she managed to do so all over one of the demons accompanying her. He grabbed her by the hair and was about to hit her when the other one pulled him back.

"Remember, Moloch wants her unharmed," he snarled. "He wants to do all the damage himself."

"Stupid bitch," the other spat, trying to clean the puke off his clothes before grabbing Annie and taking off for Cleveland once again.

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"How in the hell did she manage to get away from you?" Dean yelled at the angel. "She is your responsibility! You even said you were watching over at night!"

Gabriel clenched his jaw shut and refused to respond to Dean. Sam intervened when Cas arrived. "We don't have time for this. We just need to go."

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Annie found that the last leg of the journey was not any less disorienting than the first two. She landed on her knees and started retching. She took in the scene around her and immediately knew where she was. The fires, the blood, the demons. This was the place from her nightmare. Then she heard him.

"I knew you would come to me eventually", he growled. "There are too many people dying because of you. You are the type that would want to stop it."

"They aren't dying because of me," she said, standing up to face him. "They are dying because you are sacrificing them for your pleasure. For your power."

"And now, I will do the same to you. Your death will be what restores me to my full glory on Earth. Your blood will completely open the gate and allow me and my followers full access to all other humans."

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They arrived in Cleveland at the Castor Industries blast furnace site and met up with others from the garrison. Cas gave Dean and Sam each an Angel Killing Sword to use, even though they had brought shot guns.

"Once we teleport into the cavern, they will know we are there," Cas said. "We will have to work quickly to get to Annie."

Upon their arrival, they were attacked by hundreds of demons. Dean was thankful Cas had given them the swords. They worked better against multiple demons than any shotgun could have. The demons still managed to get in a few blows here and there, though none of that mattered. Getting to Annie was what mattered. While they all had their hands full, even with the extra help from Cas' garrison, Dean couldn't help but notice the flurry of activity out of a corner of his eye. He knew that Gabriel could have a temper, but he had never seen the angel go after anyone with the vengeance he was displaying now. He was cutting down twice the number of demons that everyone else managed to handle. Gabriel looked more determined than anybody to get to Annie in time to ensure she was safe.

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Annie looked out and saw Tom Norton being held captives by demons. Even if they got out of this she wondered if Tom would ever be the same.

"I want you to release Tom," she demanded. "Send him home. I came to you. Leave him out of this."

"You are in no position to ask for anything," Moloch replied, almost bored with the conversation.

Annie closed her eyes and sighed. Her gamble on Tom's behalf wasn't going to pay off. She only hoped that Gabriel and the others would get here soon. Then she heard a commotion growing at one end of the cavern. She hoped it was them getting close, but the timing had to be perfect. In his arrogance, Moloch made no effort to stop them.

"You angel friends will do you little good. They may kill some of my followers, but I have thousands, all hoping to get out of this pit. And there is nothing that can stop me."

"Really?" she asked. "Even Lucifer was stopped, put back in a cage. And he was your superior. What makes you so unstoppable?"

He laughed. "Actually, I am not. There is an item that can stop me, but it is so obscure, so lost, so forgotten, that I am practically unstoppable."

"And what would that be?" Annie inquired, as the sound of the fighting continued to draw near, trying to stall him and distract his attention from the others.

He saw no harm in telling her. It was too late to stop him now. The wheels had already been set in motion. "I was once angel of the Lord myself. I saw the foolishness of it all, as did Lucifer, and left Heaven when he did"

"You mean when you fell from Grace."

Ignoring her he continued. "When I left, the only true weapon against me was lost. Only my own Angel Killing Sword can be used to kill me."

"You mean this?" Ann said, pulling out the Killing Sword that Cas had brought to her.

Moloch was completely taken aback as Annie stepped forward and jammed the knife in his throat. But Moloch wasn't going to go down that easy. He grabbed Annie by the shoulder with one claw and with the other dug into her stomach, tearing into her flesh and internal organs. She screamed out in pain. She managed to pull back on the knife again and this time jammed it into where she thought his heart would be. His eyes, mouth and nose glowed red and his gnarled body fell forward to the ground. As it did, it knocked Annie backwards onto the ground. She tried to roll out from underneath his heavy form, but could barley move.

As she lay on the ground, she saw Cas and Gabe in the distance continue to fight off demons, and behind them, Dean and Sam joined the fray. But her voice was barely a whisper when she tired to call to them. Just then, Gabriel saw her.

"Annie!" he screamed. He appeared at her side in an instant. He pushed Moloch's body off her and scooped her up into his arms. She was barely conscious.

"The Gate," she whispered. "We need to get to the Gate."

Annie had no recollection of how they made it out to the Gate, just that Gabriel had called to Cas, who took Moloch's Sword from her hands and placed it into the slot to the left of the devil's trap and turned the lock, securing it so that no more demons could escape, despite the fact that some of her blood had been spilt.

"Is that it, are we done?" she asked.

"Just one more thing, Annie," Gabe said, tears in his eyes, as they disappeared.

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"We are done here," Cas said. "The rest of the garrison can contain the few stragglers that remain. I should get you back to New Salem, and tend to your wounds." He reached over and touched the two hunters on the forehead, immediately taking them back to Kansas.

"Where did they go, Cas?" Dean demanded. "Where did Gabriel take Annie?"

"There is a river," Cas said. "A river that washes you clean."

"No," Sam said. "You don't mean…"

"What?" Dean asked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

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Gabriel got her there as fast as he could. He hadn't expected it to be this bad. Time was of the essence. If this didn't work, if she didn't make it, well, he just might seriously consider returning to Heaven himself.

"Really, my son? You care for her that much?"

"Dad?"

"Hurry, you don't have much time. We will talk again after you are finished."

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Annie could feel the water swirling around her. She wanted to come up for air, to breath, but she could not. Gabe was holding her under. This was where trusting him came in. It was her instinct to fight him, to push him away and swim to the surface, to grab the air her lungs desperately craved. But her heart reminded her that he wouldn't harm her, he knew what he was doing. The water was cold and warm at the same time and seemed to be washing away the pain from her injuries, but still, she needed air, and she once again lapsed into unconsciousness.

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"The Jordan?" croaked Dean. "Like in Israel?"

"No, Dean," Cas said "The Jordan, as where you cross from life to death, and from death into Heaven"

"You mean, Annie's…" Dean couldn't even finish the thought.

"No, not yet," Cas replied. "But there is no other place on Heaven or Earth where one can be healed or cleansed like the Jordan. Originally it was simply her hope to be cleansed after killing Moloch, to be able to remain pure as a priest, but with her injuries, she will need to be healed as well."

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This was taking way too long. She had fought him at first. He could tell she wanted to come up for air, but she held back, trusting him. The wounds, especially to her abdomen, were deep. They needed to be cleansed before they could be healed. He could tell she was unconscious again and he was worried she wouldn't last long enough to be healed. But she had to make it. He needed her to make it.

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Dean couldn't think for a few minutes. He didn't want to think for a few minutes.

There was silence in the Badlands, and over Kansas the whole universe was stilled by the whisper of a prayer.

"Dear God," thought Dean, "Please."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I hope this makes up for where I left you last time. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. **

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Annie opened her eyes. She was still under water, but Gabe wasn't holding her under anymore. She pushed her way to the surface and gasped for air. "Gabriel" she cried, flinging her arms around his neck.

"Annie!" he shouted, picking her up and swinging her around. Gabriel set her down and kissed her, until he heard someone clear their throat.

"Gabriel, I need to speak to you."

"Annie, you need to stay right here. I'll be back soon. I promise," as he brushed the wet curls out of her face. "But you can't cross the river. You can't go any farther, do understand? Please stay right here until I get back."

As Gabriel left her standing in the River, she looked across to the shore and saw her Gran standing there, waving to her, among a host of others, including her parents and John Winchester. And she suddenly knew where she was.

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"I wasn't sure you would ever come home again. And when you do, you bring a girl with you. You were always the one to surprise me the most."

Gabriel was silent for a moment before he spoke, knowing even he had to chose his words carefully now. "There was a time that even if I had chosen to come home, you wouldn't have been here."

"I left because it was time for all of you to grow up. None of you were going to do that with me still looking over your shoulder. Some, like your brother Castiel, far exceeded my expectations. Others chose their own path and called it my will. In the end, it was the sons of Adam that so many of your brothers despised that solved the problems my own children had created. Though a few of you, yourself and Castiel included, decided to help them along the way."

Gabriel paused, hesitating to bring up the topic that brought him home in the first place. He found he didn't need to.

"She's been changed, you know. The River did more than cleanse and heal her. It changed her."

"How?" his voice full of concern.

"It's supposed to prepare a person to crossover from death to Everlasting Life. She didn't die and she's not crossing over, not yet anyway. As it is, she will live a very, very long time. She will outlive everyone she knows. Except perhaps, you. She will remain always as she is now, only crossing over when she chooses. It could get very lonely for her, unless you have plans to stick around and keep her company. I can see myself approving of something like that."

"Really?"

"It's not like me to say something I don't mean. Besides, she has been asking a question along those lines for awhile, and it's about time she got an answer. So why don't you go get her and take her home? After all, Earth is as much your home these days as it hers."

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Gabriel and Annie had been gone for almost twenty four hours. Dean had refused to sleep the entire time, though Sam had caught a few hours here and there. Dean could not to begin to imagine what was taking so long. If Cas told him once more that time didn't move the same way in Heaven that it did on Earth, he would take out all of his frustration on the Archangel.

It didn't help that Cas wouldn't go to Heaven and check on them. Cas said it would do them no good. Because he wasn't Annie's assigned guardian, he wouldn't be allowed near the River at this time.

"What, so you wouldn't even hear any rumors or scuttlebutt if you went up there?" Dean snarled at him.

"Are you looking for any information at all, or accurate information, Dean?" was the angel's reply. "Is this one of those moments when I am supposed to lie to you?"

Finally, late in the afternoon, the pair appeared in the living room, just as Dean was once again demanding Cas to go to Heaven to check on them.

"Well, that would be a wasted trip, since we are back in one piece, better than ever," Gabriel announced.

Dean spun around and saw Annie standing there with Gabe, well and truly healed. He pulled her into a hug and whispered into ear, "Don't ever do that to me again." Sam, too hugged her tightly, as Gabriel explained how Annie had been healed. He left out the conversation he had with his Father, for he had not even had a chance to discuss that with Annie yet.

Annie asked if Tom Norton had made it back safely, and if so, how he was doing. Cas explained that he was able to get the young man out and was able to alter his memory so that he had no recollection of the horrible events that he had witnessed. This earned the Archangel a hug from Annie, which he awkwardly accepted.

"Tom Norton does seem to recall who I am though," Cas stated.

"Well, then you have more than one reason to come to New Salem to visit," Annie replied. "Tom could always use another friend."

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The group had a small and quiet meal, after which, Annie sat on the front porch for awhile by herself, thinking over the events of the last several days. Soon, however, she was joined by Gabriel.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked.

"I was saving it for you," as she scooted over on the porch swing to make room for him. "You've been quiet this evening. Not your usual self."

He put his arm around her as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I spoke with my Dad while we were in Heaven."

Annie turned her head and looked at him with trepidation, eyes brimming with tears. "I knew this wouldn't be allowed."

"Oh, so now it matters to you."

"What can I say?" she replied, reaching for his hand and interlacing her fingers with his. "I've grown pretty attached to you. I don't want to loose you."

"Annie, you lied to me. And you left. You went to Moloch without any help. Because of that, I almost lost you."

Her tears now freely flowed down her cheeks. "I am sorry. I didn't think I had any other options."

"Hey, now, no more tears. I forgive you," he said kissing her forehead. "You just need to remember, you always have options with me. Like Reese's or Snickers."

"I'll take Reese's," Annie replied, picking up a peanut butter cup. "So, what did God have to say?"

"He wanted me to give you the answer to your question. Apparently, if you're willing to put up with me, He wants me to stick around and keep you company over the next several centuries."

"Really? You mean, it's Ok, then?" she asked, moving to sit in his lap and wrap her arms around the back of his neck.

"I take that is a yes? If that is the case, we are going back to that beach, and you will wear a bikini this time" he laughed, leaning in to kiss her.

Annie broke the kiss off after a second to ask, "Did you say centuries?"

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**A/N: Thanks for sticking with me through all of this. I appreciate all of the reviews and feedback. It was more than I expected for my first time out in this format, and first time writing fiction after so long. I think I have tied up most of the loose ends, but if you have any questions, let me know. I have a little epilogue that I will post tomorrow. After that, who know where I will go next.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters. **

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_The sun peeked through the curtains, waking the sleeping red head. She brushed the curls out of her face as she opened her green eyes to see what the morning held in store. She stretched her arms above her head as she yawned and rolled over. She tumbled out of her bed and snuck around the rest of the upstairs to see if anyone else was awake in the house. A peek in the room next to hers led to the discovery of only one sleeping form on the bed, which meant that at least one other person was up and about. Another glance into the guest room revealed that the house guests were both still tucked in their beds, awaiting the surprise she had left them after they had fallen asleep._

_She toddled down the stairs with her blankie tucked under her arm. She found him in the kitchen. "Morning, Daddy!" she said as she wrapped her arms around his leg._

"_Morning, Sugar! Would you like some pie for breakfast?"_

"_Mommy doesn't like it when we have pie for breakfast."_

_He laughed as he picked up his daughter and kissed her on the cheek. "No, she doesn't. But she doesn't need to find out."_

"_Mommy always finds out, Daddy."_

"_Yes, she does," he sighed, as he set his daughter down on the counter and cut a slice of pie anyway._

"_Do you think she will find out what I did to Uncle Dean and Uncle Sam while they were asleep?"_

_He never imagined that those muttonheads would ever be an "uncle" to any child of his. Heck, he had not even imagined he would have any kids. But ever since she had made her early and very loud entrance into the world almost five years ago, there isn't anything the two hunters wouldn't do for her.__ And even he had to admit, he wouldn't have it any other way. _

"_And what was that, Sugar?" he asked._

"_I gave them clown faces, Daddy!" she giggled._

"_That's my girl!" Gabriel exclaimed. "I won't tell, if you don't!"_

"_Arrgh! Clowns? Why did it have to be clowns? Why won't this come off? GAAYBRIEL!" _

_The father and daughter could hear the commotion coming from upstairs. "I think your Uncle Sam is awake now, Sugar. Which means everyone else will be awake soon, too. Would you like to leave before they come downstairs? We could go see some elephants and lions."_

"_Daddy,' she giggled. "It's too early. The zoo isn't open."_

"_Oh, we aren't going to the zoo. We're going to Kenya."_

_With that, the father and daughter disappeared from the kitchen with a snap, before anyone else could discover their morning mischief._

**A/N: Yes, she does have a name (and it's not Sugar), and I have a few other things rolling around in my head, too. If I should continue this in a sequel or a series of one-shots, you will learn more about her then.**

**This all began with a kid, and some pie, so that is where I decided to end it. For now.**


	19. Chapter 19

Just a quick note. The first chapter of my sequel to Collateral Blessings has been posted. It is entitled Immortal Slumber. It continues the story of Gabriel and Annie and now their daughter, Abigail. You will also see Dean and Sam, and some other familiar faces.


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